Quality of Life

Research demonstrates how poor oral health, including the development of dental caries, or cavities, can lead to an overall poorer quality of life and poor diet that in turn lead to more oral health problems. Poor oral health can impact activities of daily living, causing difficulties in social interactions and impacting education and career opportunities. Oral health issues can also lead to nutritional concerns, such as obesity, food avoidance, and lower overall diet quality. Additionally, serious medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, endocarditis, pneumonia, pregnancy complications (*i.e. premature birth and low birth weight), diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer, may arise because of poor oral health and poor diet. 

Learn more about how poor oral health, including the development of dental caries, can negatively impact quality of life across the lifespan. 

Women, Infants and Children <5

2016 -   Journal of the American Dental Association.  Self-reported temporomandibular joint disorder symptoms, oral health, and   quality of life of children in kindergarten through grade 5: Do sex, race,  and socioeconomic background matter?   

2011 - Journal of Dental Research.  Oral Health and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes - What's Next   

2006 - Maternal and Child Health Journal. Oral health in women during preconception and pregnancy:   Implications for birth outcomes and infant oral health     

Children and Adolescents

2021 - Pediatrics. Oral Health Among   Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs.    

2005 - British Medical Journal.   Dental disease in children with chronic illness    

Working Age Adults 

2020 - Diabetologia. Improved oral hygiene is associated with decreased risk of new-onset diabetes: a nationwide population-based cohort study

2020 - Journal of Clinical Periodontology. Periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases: Consensus   report.    

2020 - PLOS One. Poor oral health   conditions and cognitive decline: Studies in humans and rats   

2017 - British Dental Journal.   Evidence summary: the relationship between oral and cardiovascular disease   

2017 - Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral, Cirugia Bucal. Systematic review and assessment of systematic reviews   examining the effect of periodontal treatment on glycemic control in patients   with diabetes.    

2016 - Journal of Periodontal Research.   An overview of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of periodontal   treatment to improve glycaemic control    

2016 - Australian Dental Journal.   Periodontal treatment and glycaemic control in patients with diabetes and   periodontitis: an umbrella review   

2015 - Journal of Clinical Periodontology. Associations between the number of natural teeth and metabolic syndrome in adults   

2015 - Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism. Oral infections and cardiovascular disease   

2015 - Journal of Dentistry. A   systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical, microbiological, and   behavioural aspects of oral health among patients with stroke.    

2013 - Journal of Periodontology.  Evidence that periodontal treatment improves biomarkers and CVD outcomes   

2013 - Journal of Dental Research.  Global burden of oral conditions in 1990-2010: a systematic analysis   

2013 - Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. Poor oral health as a chronic, potentially modifiable   dementia risk factor: review of the literature   

2010 - Journal of Periodontology. Number   of teeth as a predictor of cardiovascular mortality in a cohort of 7,674   subjects followed for 12 years    

2006 - Journal of Periodontology. Systematic review of the association between   respiratory diseases and oral health    

2006 - Journal of Public Health Dentistry. The relationship between cardiovascular xerogenic medication   intake and the incidence of crown/root restorations   

2003 - Journal of Public Health Dentistry. Socioeconomic and demographic disparities in symptoms of  orofacial pain   

2000 - Periodontology. The global burden of periodontal   disease: towards integration with chronic disease prevention and control   

1998 - Special Care in Dentistry. The   effects of denture status on nutrition    

Older Adults

2021 - International Dental Journal. Oral Health, Diabetes, and Inflammation: Effects of Oral Hygiene Behaviour

2021 - Geriatrics. Common Medical   and Dental Problems of Older Adults: A Narrative Review 

2018 - Clinical Oral Investigation.   Periodontitis, tooth loss and cognitive functions among older adults.    

2017 - Gerodontology. Periodontal   disease, tooth loss and dementia: Is there a link? A systematic review  

2016 - International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Association between tooth loss and dementia among older people: a meta-analysis.  

2015 - Journal of American Geriatric Society. Tooth loss associated with physical and cognitive decline in older adults. 

Women, Infants and Children <5

2011 -   Journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry. Underweight in low socioeconomic status preschool children   with severe early childhood caries.    

1992 - Pediatric Dentistry. Effect   of nursing caries on body weight in pediatric population    

Children and Adolescents

2021 - Journal of the American Dental Association. The association between food insecurity, diet quality, and   untreated caries among US children   

2012 - Journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and   Preventive Dentistry. Exploring the relation   between body mass index, diet, and dental caries among 6-12-year-old   children    

2011 - Community of Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. Language and literacy relate to lack of children's dental   sealant use   

2006 - British Dental Journal.  Dental caries affects body weight, growth and quality of life in pre-school   children     

Working Age Adults

2010 - Journal of Peridontology. Number   of teeth as a predictor of cardiovascular mortality in a cohort of 7,674   subjects followed for 12 years   

2003 - Journal of Dental Research.  Association of Edentulism and Diet and Nutrition in US Adults    

Older Adults

2018 -   Clinical Nutrition. Relationship of nutritional   status and oral health in elderly: Systematic review with meta-analysis   

2011 - Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics. Impact of Denture Usage Patterns on Dietary Quality and Food   Avoidance among Older Adults   

2007 - Journal of the American Geriatric Society. Chewing problems and mortality in older adults in home care:   results from the Aged in Home Care study   

2003 - Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Nutritional status of the older adult is associated with  dentition status.   

2002 - Journal of the American Dental Association.   Oral Health, nutrient and dietary quality in the very old  

Women, Infants and Children <5

2017 -   Pediatric Dentistry. Severity of Dental Caries and   Quality of Life for Toddlers and Their Families     

Children and Adolescents

2018 - Health Behavior Policy Review.   School Hours Lost Due to Acute/Unplanned Dental Care

2017 – Pediatric Dentistry. Severity of Dental Caries and Quality of Life for Toddlers and Their Families.    

2014 - Health Quality of Life Outcomes. A systematic review of the impact of parental socio-economic   status and home environment characteristics on children's oral health related   quality of life.    

2011 - American Journal Public Health. Impact of Poor Oral Health on Children’s School Attendance and   Performance    

Working Age Adults

2017 - BMC Geriatrics.Relationship   between oral health and Fried's frailty criteria in community-dwelling older   persons   

2017 - Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. Oral health-related quality-of-life scores differ by   socioeconomic status and caries experience.   

2013 - Quality of Life Research.  Socio-behavioral predictors of self-reported oral health-related quality of   life.    

2012 - Journal of Nutritional Health Aging.Dietary, self-reported oral health and socio-demographic   predictors of general health status among older adults    

2009 - Social Science and Medicine.   The role of health-related behaviors in the socioeconomic disparities in oral  health.    

2005 - Bulletin World Health Organization. Oral health, general health and quality of life.    

1998 - Special care in dentistry.  Relationships among education, dentate status, and diet in adults     

Older Adults

2017 – BMC Geriatrics. Relationship between oral health and Fried’s frailty criteria in community-dwelling older persons