Prevalence and influencing factors of oral frailty in cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This study systematically evaluated the prevalence of oral frailty and its associated influencing factors among patients with cancer through a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across nine electronic databases up to January 13, 2026, and 13 studies involving 3,524 participants were ultimately included. RESULTS: The pooled analysis demonstrated that the prevalence of oral frailty in patients with cancer was 52% (95% CI: 46%-59%), indicating a substantial disease burden in this population. Several factors were identified as associated with oral frailty, including denture use (OR = 15.09, 95% CI: 6.78-33.58), poor oral health (OR = 4.70, 95% CI: 2.13-10.39), physical frailty (OR = 3.63, 95% CI: 2.40-5.50), smoking (OR = 3.53, 95% CI: 2.34-5.31), malnutrition (OR = 3.40, 95% CI: 2.01-5.75), xerostomia (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 2.11-5.68), and radiotherapy (OR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.67-4.11). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the results, and Egger's test indicated no significant publication bias (P > 0.05). DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that oral frailty is relatively common among patients with cancer and is associated with several identifiable factors. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD420261281120.