Social Determinants of Health and Dental Rehabilitation After Mandibular Reconstruction: A Scoping Review of an Evidence Gap

Background: Vascularized free flap reconstruction reliably restores mandibular continuity, but dental rehabilitation is delivered inconsistently. Because dental rehabilitation has been examined almost entirely through a clinical lens, we mapped whether and how social determinants of health (SDOH) have been examined in relation to its receipt after mandibular reconstruction. Methods: A scoping review following PRISMA-ScR searched PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus from January 2000 through October 2026, supplemented by backward citation searching. Studies were charted by SDOH exposure and rehabilitation outcome. Results: Of 167 records screened, 14 were assessed in full text, and two met inclusion criteria. One cohort found race significantly associated with implant placement, with cost the most frequently reported barrier in that cohort; one case report framed prosthetic rehabilitation around affordability. One excluded cohort measured SDOH but reported only surgical outcomes. Across charted cohorts, completed rehabilitation ranged from 19% to 78% and implant placement from 27% to 38.5%, and contextual studies examined clinical determinants almost exclusively. Conclusions: Within the literature identified, the relationship between social circumstance and dental rehabilitation after mandibular reconstruction has been examined directly in only one small cohort and one case report. The financing divide is a plausible, testable mechanism, and cohort studies designed around SDOH exposures are needed.