Advocacy guide for oral health for ageing populations launched at WDC25
At the FDI World Dental Congress 2025 (WDC25), FDI launched a new advocacy guide to accelerate action on oral health for ageing populations worldwide. The guide builds on more than ten years of the Oral Health for an Ageing Population (OHAP) project and is intended to support national dental associations, policy-makers, and health systems in embedding oral health within healthy ageing strategies.
About the advocacy guide
The guide offers a practical, evidence-based roadmap for advocacy and service design, drawing on peer-reviewed studies, care-delivery frameworks, and tools developed through OHAP. It is explicitly aligned with FDI’s Vision 2030, the WHO oral health resolution and strategy, and the broader push for universal health coverage (UHC) that includes oral health. The guide is published as a downloadable resource for NDAs and stakeholders.
Ten years of OHAP: from Tokyo to WDC25
OHAP began after the 2015 Tokyo Declaration, which framed oral health as a human right and called for integration of oral health into public health and healthy-ageing policies. Over the past decade, OHAP has produced toolkits, clinical guidance and advocacy materials to help countries plan age-sensitive oral health services. The new guide represents the next step in translating that decade of research and collaboration into policy action.
Why this matters now
Global population ageing is rapid: by 2050 the number of people aged 60 years and older is projected to double to about 2.1 billion, increasing the urgency to design health systems that meet older adults’ needs — including oral health. Poor oral health undermines nutrition, communication and quality of life; embedding oral care in healthy-ageing plans supports functional independence and social participation. World Health Organization
Partners, endorsements and practical value
FDI acknowledges long-term partners GC International and the Nakao Foundation for supporting OHAP and the advocacy guide. The guide includes step-by-step messaging for policy advocacy, suggested indicators for monitoring progress, and practical resources for carers, dental teams and national associations. A printed/PDF version and web page were released alongside the WDC25 session.
Bottom line
FDI encourages national dental associations, health ministries and civil society to use the guide to: integrate oral health into UHC packages, expand prevention and care models for older adults, collect data on oral health in older populations, and mobilize sustainable financing. The guide is built to be adapted at country level and to support advocacy toward decision-makers who shape healthy-ageing policy.
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