In a new study from NYU, researchers found older adults who are socially isolated are more likely to have missing teeth—and to lose their teeth more quickly over time—than those with more social interaction.
The finding suggests that maintaining and improving social connections may benefit the oral health of older adults.
Social isolation and loneliness in older adults are major public health concerns around the world and are risk factors for heart disease, mental health disorders, cognitive decline, and premature death.
In some countries, including the United States and China, up to one in three older adults are lonely, according to the World Health Organization.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues among older adults, as many in-person interactions have been interrupted to protect older adults from infection.
Gum disease, smoking, lack of access to dental care, and chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease increase the risks of tooth loss.
Missing teeth can have a big impact on one’s quality of life, affecting nutrition, speech, and self-esteem.
In the study, the team used the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey to analyze data from 4,268 adults aged 65 and up.
The participants completed surveys at three different timepoints (2011-12, 2014, and 2018), which captured measures of social isolation and loneliness, how many teeth people had and lost over the 7-year study, and other factors.
More than a quarter (27.5%) of the study participants were socially isolated, and 26.5% reported feeling lonely.
The researchers found that higher levels of social isolation were associated with having fewer teeth and losing teeth more quickly over time, even when controlling for other factors such as oral hygiene, health status, smoking and drinking, and loneliness.
Older adults who were socially isolated had, on average, 2.1 fewer natural teeth and 1.4 times the rate of losing their teeth than those with stronger social ties.
The team says socially isolated older adults tend to be less engaged in social and health-promoting behaviors like physical activity, which could have a negative impact on their overall functioning and oral hygiene, as well as increase their risk for systemic inflammation.
This functional impairment seems to be a major pathway linking social isolation to tooth loss.
The findings—which are relevant to countries beyond China, given that social isolation and tooth loss are global issues—highlight the importance of developing interventions to reduce social isolation.
If you care about health, please read studies about gum disease that increases risks of mental problems and heart conditions, and dental tool for snoring that may slow down Alzheimer’s disease.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about existing drug that could prevent COVID death, and results showing that if you worry about COVID-19 too much, then your cognition will suffer.
The study is published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. One author of the study is Xiang Qi.
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