Global Burden And Trends Of Oral Disorders In Older Adults

This study aims to provides a comprehensive assessment of the global burden of oral disorders among individuals aged 60 and older from 1990 to 2021, with future projections to 2040. Data on annual prevalence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for oral disorders were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 via the Global Health Data Exchange (GHDx) results tool. Ethical approval and informed consent were not required for this study. Trends in age-standardized prevalence and DALY rates were analyzed by age, sex, and Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) using estimated annual percentage changes. Projections through 2040 were generated using a Bayesian age-period-cohort model. In 2021, older adults experienced 675.8 million prevalent cases of oral disorders and 9.4 million DALYs globally. Although age-standardized prevalence and DALY rates declined from 1990 to 2021, significant regional disparities remained, with the highest burdens in Andean Latin America and East Asia and rising trends in Tropical Latin America and Eastern Europe. While dental caries and periodontitis were the most common conditions, edentulism contributed substantially to DALYs, particularly in middle-SDI countries, and projections indicate a continued decline in dental caries and periodontitis but an increase in edentulism. These findings highlight the persistent burden and shifting trends of oral disorders in older adults, emphasizing the need for targeted public health interventions to improve prevention, treatment, and equitable access to oral healthcare for aging populations.