Oral Health

Oral health is a foundational yet frequently overlooked component of healthy ageing. Oral conditions affect essential daily functions such as eating, speaking, and social interaction, shaping nutrition, confidence, dignity, and independence across the life course. In later life, poor oral health is closely linked to frailty, functional limitations, and reduced quality of life, particularly when it occurs alongside other chronic conditions. Yet oral health has historically received limited attention within ageing, prevention, and health system frameworks. This gap is especially concerning given the well-established links between oral health, chronic disease, functional decline, and inequity. Strengthening the integration of oral health into healthy ageing agendas is therefore essential to supporting wellbeing, prevention, and quality of life in later life.