Advocacy leaflet and Roadmap for Healthy Ageing released at 2018 World Oral Health Forum
Each year, FDI World Dental Congress features the World Oral Health Forum (WOHF), an in-depth session meant to spark discussion on the latest topics related to oral health and dentistry. This year’s WOHF highlighted the important link between oral health and healthy ageing and featured panelists with notable expertise in this field.
An advocacy leaflet Achieving a healthy ageing society was released at WOHF that emphasises the urgent need to adapt health systems to meet the increasing oral health needs of ageing populations worldwide. Also available is the Roadmap for Healthy Ageing, a quick reference guide outlining strategies and actions that stakeholders can implement to address the oral health needs of older adults that was developed by FDI’s Oral Health for an Ageing Population (OHAP) Task Team. The Roadmap proposes a range of strategies and actions that various stakeholders can implement, globally or locally, to meet the needs of older adults with varying levels of dependency, referred to as the Lucerne Care Pathway.
The Roadmap is unique in several ways. First, it reminds us that population ageing is a global concern and that oral health is a fundamental right, indispensable for healthy ageing. The Roadmap can easily be used, all around the world, as a reference guide for global, national or local actions on behalf of the elderly community.
Oral disease is not an inevitable consequence of ageing, but can be reduced or prevented through simple and effective measures at all stages of life. FDI’s OHAP partnership seeks to strengthen the link between dental practitioners and healthy longevity. By focusing on the importance of oral health in ageing populations, the oral health community can play an essential role in ensuring that people age in a healthy and supported way. The OHAP partnership, launched in 2015 and supported by GC, aims to ensure oral health challenges are addressed in broader health policies for ageing populations. OHAP actively promotes research on oral health in ageing populations and pursues opportunities for improved oral disease prevention and treatment for elderly patients. A conference dedicated to the subject is organized every two years.
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Lifelong oral health aims to maintain good oral health and an optimal quality of life through oral health promotion, risk assessment, disease prevention, early diagnosis, and intervention at all stages of life. Read the eight core pillars of oral health in the elderly and learn about the four steps that can be taken to improve the oral health of the elderly.
Achieving a healthy ageing society
This roadmap provides key information on the phenomenon of global ageing and its implications for oral healthcare services (OHCS). In addition, the roadmap contains a range of possible strategies and actions different stakeholders can implement to meet the needs of older adults with different levels of dependency, based on an adapted Seattle Care Pathway, also referred to as the Lucerne Care Pathway.
The Oral Health for an Ageing Population project aims to improve oral disease prevention and treatment strategies for elderly patients and advocates for oral health to be included in broader health policies for ageing populations.
