Aging & Social Change: Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The elderly population, those over 65 years old, is growing globally. This demographic shift is unprecedented in the history of the world, with this cohort of the population set to become the largest portion of the global population by 2050. The biological changes that occur over the life course, in addition to socioeconomic pressures, predisposes this population to unique oral and general health challenges which necessitate access to oral healthcare services. These unique challenges impact government budgets for health and social support due to increasing reliance on state resources. Government and international policies espouse the importance of providing access to healthcare for this group; however, oral healthcare benefits for the elderly increasingly face cuts and the financial stability of this population is more uncertain. An understanding of the economic impact that not accessing services has on this population, healthcare services, and government budgets is necessary. English language studies printed in peer-review journals accessible in full were selected for the study. An electronic database search was conducted of PubMed, Ovid Medline, Web of Science, and CINAHL using key search terms related to the research question; developed by using a population, intervention, comparator, and outcome approach. Two researchers working independently screened the results for inclusion in the study based on title and abstract and a review of these separate processes was conducted jointly to decide the final number of studies included. This study is ongoing.