Policy Paper. Salud Oral en Personas Mayores: un desafío multidimensional para Chile

of technical orientations and evaluations, which – as one particular item – includes an evaluation of “Nutritional and digestive aspects”. In this item, the “alterations in oral cavity” such as missing tooth, ill adjusted prosthesis and other alterations “causing difficulties for proper eating” (Subsecretaria de Redes Asistenciales, 2020) are examined. Considering these challenges, the present document argues for the need for debate on this issue. A debate is needed that combines the high quality research work done by the University of Chile with a transdisciplinary vision that goes beyond academic boundaries, opening a space of knowledge and proposal production for different stakeholders in civil society and decision making, both at a personal and community level, as well as on national scale. From this exchange of stakeholders at different levels, we have synthesized five recommendations and twelve possible actions, as seen below. PROPOSAL ACTION 1.- Integral dental healthcare policy, with a preventive focus. Design a healthcare policy for senior population that´s centered on the life course, not just the outcome of it Training for the care providers A cross training program, paired with education aimed both at families and communities 2.- Increase in healthcare coverage Strengthening of house call healthcare Elaborate a targeted diagnosis program and focused follow-up instruments Increase the coverage of the “GES 60” plan 3.- Development of tools and methods for diagnosis Incorporating a preventive oral health exam into the integral evaluation of senior population´s health Creation of an updated academic research search and resources platform POLICY PAPER N°2 / SERIE ENVEJECIMIENTO