King's College London

According to the World Health Organisation 2022 Health and Aging report, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over by 2030; and this represents a predicted increase from 1 billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion. Looking further ahead, by 2050 people aged 60 years and older will double to 2.1 billion, and the number of people aged 80 years or older triple to 426 million.

“Undoubtedly, population aging can be viewed as a marker of improving health and successfully living longer, but the healthcare needs of the increasing aging population will be significant,” says Dr Rakhee Patel of King’s College London.

In response to the challenges of an aging population, the United Nations and the World Health Organisation declared 2021-2030 the Decade of Healthy Aging, with the purpose of collaborative action to foster longer and healthier lives.

“The current state of our aging population demonstrates a need towards healthy aging rather than aging as a disability,” explains Dr Patel. “Although more people are living longer, they are not all living better.”

Published recently in the BDJ Open, the study explores the WHO public health framework for healthy aging and global trends and proposes an integrated model for healthy aging and oral health, informed by the outcomes of the NIHR funded Fluoride Interventions in Care Homes Study.

The study also explains the inter-relationship between general health and poor oral health. Long-term health conditions and oral health are intrinsically linked, and the most prevalent chronic conditions often share the same ‘common risk factors’ with oral health conditions. Respiratory conditions, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cognitive ability and nutrition have all been linked with poor oral health.

Authors of the paper, Dr Rakhee Patel and Professor Jenny Gallagher conclude that the effect of an aging population on oral health and oral health care systems needs urgent consideration.

“The impact of the oral condition alone has on an individual’s quality of life and function is of vital importance,” says Dr Patel.

“It is imperative that measures to plan for services which are patient-centred, and prevention focussed are put in place, both for the quality of life, as well as implications for oral health systems.”