Background: Elderly people frequently report tooth loss, affecting their nutritional status. There is a gap in the scientific evidence about the influence of prosthodontic rehabilitation on nutritional status.
Objective: To investigate the influence of prosthodontic rehabilitation combinates or not with dietary advice on nutritional status in elderly patients.
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in three electronic databases to identify randomized clinical trials that evaluated the effect of prosthetic rehabilitation on nutritional status in subjects aged 60 years or older, with a follow-up of at least 1 month after prosthesis rehabilitation.
Results: Of the 1517 articles identified in the initial search, 12 were selected for the final review. No significant difference between the types of prosthesis were found regarding the chewing by the elderly population. Although patients who received prosthetic treatment had significant improvement in chewing ability, a consistent pattern of improvement in nutritional status was not observed when they did not receive dietary advice. In addition, the association between the condition of the dentition, the masticatory performance and nutritional change of elderly patients has been found. Studies that evaluated simultaneous complete denture treatment and simple dietary advice showed an improvement of nutrient intake in elderly patients.
Conclusions: Isolated prosthetic rehabilitation may not have the effect of exerting a change in nutritional status of edentulous elderly patients. In general, simultaneous dietary consulting and prosthetic treatment in combination may improve dietary habits, since masticatory capacity and efficiency are not the only factors that influence the nutritional status of a patient.
Keywords: Elderly; Nutritional status; Prosthetic dentistry; Systematic review.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.