The Impact of Dental Prostheses in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease: A Scoping Review With Exploratory Analysis

Dental prostheses not only restore oral function but may also impact systemic health outcomes. This scoping review sought to synthesize evidence on the association between dental prostheses, hypertension, and physical function, including frailty, in adults with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) or elevated cardiovascular risk. This review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Literature searches were performed in PubMed and Google Scholar up to November 10, 2024. Eligible studies were observational investigations involving adults with established CVD or elevated cardiovascular risk who used dental prostheses. An exploratory quantitative approach was used to summarize the direction and patterns of association. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria: 5 assessed hypertension and 2 examined physical function. Exploratory pooled analysis based on unadjusted data indicated that individuals with dental prostheses had a lower odds of hypertension (odds ratio = 0.69; 95% confidence interval, 0.52-0.91), although substantial heterogeneity (I² = 95%) and the use of unadjusted estimates imply a high risk of residual confounding. Limited evidence suggests that dental prosthesis use may help preserve mobility and mitigate frailty in patients with CVD; however, differences in frailty definitions and limited adjustment for confounding factors reduce comparability and indicate that these findings should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating. Current evidence suggests that dental prosthesis use may offer benefits beyond oral rehabilitation, potentially linked to better hypertension-related outcomes and physical function in adults with CVD or elevated cardiovascular risk, but certainty is limited by the small number of studies and methodological heterogeneity. These exploratory, hypothesis-generating findings highlight the need for well-designed longitudinal studies to clarify potential associations and underlying mechanisms. Beyond restoring oral function, prosthodontic rehabilitation may have broader systemic implications, contributing to better cardiovascular-related outcomes in aging populations.