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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Mapping the Evidence on Oral Health Interventions and Cognitive Status in Alzheimer's Disease: A Scoping Review
Man Hung1,2,3,4, Hanna Chriss1, Megan Nelson1
1College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, South Jordan, UT 84095, USA.
Background:
Oral health is increasingly recognized as a potentially modifiable factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD), although its influence on cognitive outcomes remains uncertain.
Methods:
This scoping review followed the Arksey and O'Malley framework and was reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science through August 2025. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria: one randomized controlled trial, one nonrandomized trial, and nine observational studies.
Results:
Poor oral health, including tooth loss, periodontal disease, and impaired mastication, was consistently associated with worse cognitive and dementia-related outcomes. Interventions improved oral and functional measures but yielded limited and inconsistent evidence of cognitive benefit. Proposed mechanisms, including systemic inflammation and microbiome alterations, were infrequently evaluated directly.
Conclusions:
Overall, oral health correlates with cognitive status in AD, but the causal impact of interventions remains uncertain, highlighting the need for rigorous trials with standardized cognitive and mechanistic outcomes.
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