Editorial: Enhancing oral health literacy and quality of life: strategies for a healthier future

Oral health is a fundamental component of overall health, encompassing biological integrity, functional ability and psychosocial comfort (1). Oral diseases and functional impairments affect essential daily activities (from eating and speaking to engaging in social life) and are closely intertwined with an individual's quality of life (2). These outcomes are not determined solely by clinical status but are shaped by a group of factors including oral health literacy (the capacity to obtain, process, and apply oral health information) and the broader social, economic, and cultural contexts in which individuals live (3).The Research Topic Enhancing Oral Health Literacy and Quality of Life: Strategies for a Healthier Future was established to unify interdisciplinary perspectives on how literacy-centered approaches can inform of equitable, sustainable improvements in oral health outcomes. The eight contributions in this collection deepen the understanding of how oral health literacy interacts with functional oral health, health behavior, and social determinants, advancing both theoretical insight and practical strategies to improve quality of life.A central theme emerging from the collection is the relevance of oral function to health outcomes among older adults. The reviewed evidence highlights that oral health extends beyond clinical indicators to include functional aspects essential for daily living. This perspective is reflected in the systematic overview of oral frailty among hospitalized older adults, which identifies functional decline, such as impaired mastication and swallowing, as a common and clinically significant condition in this population. The synthesis presented in Systematic review and meta-analysis of oral frailty prevalence among older hospitalized patients emphasizes the high prevalence of oral frailty and supports the integration of functional oral assessments into hospital care and research, given their association with adverse health outcomes.Similarly, the cross-sectional analysis in Prevalence and influencing factors of oral frailty among middle-aged and older patients with chronic kidney disease shows how a chronic systemic condition such as chronic kidney disease is associated with a high prevalence of frailty will depend on sustained attention to literacy, system integration, and equity, alongside recognition 119 that oral health is an essential component of overall well-being and social participation. 120 121