Is there an association between oral health-related quality of life and Alzheimer's disease?

Data sources PubMed, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library database and ProQuest databases were searched. Study selection Observational and non-randomised studies in English language were considered for inclusion. Two reviewers independently selected the relevant studies. Any disagreement was resolved by discussion with a third reviewer. The outcome of interest for this review was oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Data extraction and synthesis Data extraction was conducted independently by two reviewers. Critical appraisal was conducted by two reviewers using the Joanna Briggs Institute 'Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument'. Results Six studies were included in the review, of which five were cross-sectional and one was a non-randomised controlled trial. OHRQoL was measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) in one study and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) in the other five included studies. All six studies were judged as methodologically strong. When the results of four studies which used the GOHAI were pooled together in a meta-analysis, no statistically significant differences in the GOHAI scores between patients with Alzheimer's disease and controls were found (SMD = 0.09; 95%CI: -0.66 to 0.85). Conclusions The results of this review showed no significant difference in OHRQoL between patients with Alzheimer's disease and healthy controls. © 2020, British Dental Association.