Oral Health Status of Older Adults in the Americas

Abstract

The document Oral Health Status of Older Adults in the Americas is part of a series of publications entitled "The Decade of Healthy Aging in the Americas, Situation and Challenges". In order to outline the current knowledge available on the situation of health and well-being of older persons in the Americas at the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Healthy Aging (2021-2030), this document presents data and existing evidence in oral health among the population of the Region, especially older people, and calls for increasing actions to achieve healthy aging in the Region of the Americas by developing policies and interventions, including integrated delivery of dental care with medical and social care. Oral health is related to different aspects of health, and influences directly older adults’ intrinsic capacity, especially because of the close relationship with the vitality domain. Maintaining and improving the intrinsic capacity is key to achieving healthy aging. The accelerated population aging of Latin America and the Caribbean will shape the capacities of countries and health systems to respond to the specific demands of the population. Therefore, in order to design inclusive and sustainable systems, it is necessary to have updated and effective accurate information. The Decade of Healthy Aging 2021-2030 is a period to guide action toward data generation and monitoring, and this document contributes to that strategy.