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Preventive and Need-Driven Use of Dental Services among Community-Dwelling Older People with Long-Term Care Needs
Wakui T, Edahiro A, Okamura T, Motohashi Y, Hirata T, Hirano H.. medRxiv, 2026-01-30
Topic: Health services, long-term care and technology
Oral health is a key component of quality of life among older adults, yet maintaining preventive dental care becomes increasingly difficult for those with long-term care (LTC) needs. This study examined patterns of preventive and need-driven dental service use among home-dwelling older adults with LTC needs in Japan and identified the caregiving, functional, and socioeconomic factors associated with these patterns. Data were drawn from a nationwide online survey of family caregivers reporting dental service use among older adults certified under the Japanese Long-Term Care Insurance system (n = 1,055). Poorer financial situations increased the likelihood of a lack of dental visits, whereas need-driven visits were more common among those who received intensive or long-term caregiving and whose caregivers reported a greater burden. Dementia status was not independently associated with dental service use. These findings highlight the importance of promoting preventive dental care within community-based LTC systems, particularly as care needs intensify. Key Points Financial strain was linked to having no dental visits More intensive and longer caregiving, especially with higher caregiver burden, was linked to need-driven dental visits Dementia status was not independently associated with dental service use
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Wakui, T., Edahiro, A., Okamura, T., Motohashi, Y., Hirata, T., & Hirano, H. (2026). Preventive and Need-Driven Use of Dental Services among Community-Dwelling Older People with Long-Term Care Needs. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.29.26345104
Vancouver
Wakui T, Edahiro A, Okamura T, Motohashi Y, Hirata T, Hirano H. Preventive and Need-Driven Use of Dental Services among Community-Dwelling Older People with Long-Term Care Needs. medRxiv. 2026. doi:10.64898/2026.01.29.26345104.
BibTeX
@article{wakui2026-1a80db8c,
author = {Wakui, T. and Edahiro, A. and Okamura, T. and Motohashi, Y. and Hirata, T. and Hirano, H.},
title = {{Preventive and Need-Driven Use of Dental Services among Community-Dwelling Older People with Long-Term Care Needs}},
journal = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.64898/2026.01.29.26345104},
url = {https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.29.26345104}
}
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Key findings
- This study examined patterns of preventive and need-driven dental service use among home-dwelling older adults with LTC needs in Japan and identified the caregiving, functional, and socioeconomic factors associated with these patterns.
- Dementia status was not independently associated with dental service use.
- These findings highlight the importance of promoting preventive dental care within community-based LTC systems, particularly as care needs intensify.
- Key Points Financial strain was linked to having no dental visits More intensive and longer caregiving, especially with higher caregiver burden, was linked to need-driven dental visits Dementia status was not independently associated with dental service use
Study details
- Participants1,055
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 16/100
Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. It scored 31 on the same rubric, but non-peer-reviewed sources are capped at 16, so it shows as 16. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 19 of the 62 points we could judge it on, which is 31 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 2 / 10 | Tier 4 — not a peer-reviewed journal (medRxiv) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Not a journal article, so the journal's record does not count |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 4 / 10 | Preprint — not yet peer-reviewed. Hosted on a preprint server. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,055 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 19 / 62 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 19 of the 62 points we could judge it on is 31 out of 100. |
| Total | 31 / 100 | Capped to 16 because this is not a peer-reviewed article. |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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