Geriatric Oral Health Care within the Community in Japan

While oral health has been improved in these decades in Japan, rapid growth of aged population provided a challenging situation for dentistry as well as for community care. To keep better oral health and QOL in later years, a national strategy 'Healthy Japan 21' suggested positive actions to promote movement for keeping 20 or more teeth at the age of 80. Incleasing number of frail elderly made it nessesary to establish complehansive community care including domiciliary dental services.

80/20 Movement:

Within a new strategy of ‘Healthy Japan 21', established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2000 to encourage people towards comprehensive health promotion, oral health was placed as one of nine major issues for the health of people. In the section on oral health, one of four main targets to be achieved by 2010 was ‘More than 20 per cent of those aged 80 years old should retain 20 or more teeth, and more than 50 per cent of those aged 60 years old should retain 24 or more teeth'. To achieve the target, regular dental health check-ups and dental visits for professional cleaning were encouraged for the public.

Community Care

A comprehensive health and social care plan has started from April 2000, under a policy of sifting people from long-stay hospital to the community. The plan had some implications for community dental health services, encouraging domiciliary dental visits and oral health care by dental hygienists at their homes as well as in the institutions.

Prospect

New medical situation commencing from 2008 made it difficult for the elderly aged 75 and over to be treated and get rehabilitation by hospitals. As more and more elderly population retain natural teeth, dental profession are expected to promote their active role within the community.