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As we welcome September, several health observances invite us to consider what it means to live longer, healthier lives. Healthy Aging Month, National Gum Care Month, World Alzheimer's Month, Dental Implant Awareness Month , and World Heart Day each focus on different aspects of health, but together they reinforce an important message: oral health is an essential part of whole-person health and well-being.

Healthy aging involves more than simply living longer. Oral health can support nutrition, communication, social connection, function, and quality of life throughout the aging process. As we recognize these observances throughout September, they offer an opportunity to consider how greater integration of oral health into prevention, healthcare, and healthy aging strategies can help people live healthier lives for longer.

2026 SFG Convening: From Conversation to Action

The work following the 2026 National Convening,Oral Health as a Pathway to Wellness and Longevity, continues. The Santa Fe Group is working with Convening participants to refine the Interim Report and Draft Consensus Statement, capturing the key insights and shared perspectives that emerged from our time together in Washington, D.C.

As we incorporate participant input, we are also continuing to strengthen the network and connections that emerged from the Convening. We look forward to sharing the final Convening resources and the next phase of this work in the coming weeks.

MUST READS

The Wall Between Doctors and Dentists Falls 

Eric Berger highlights the growing momentum toward closer integration of oral health and medical care and the opportunities emerging as longstanding divisions between the two begin to shift. (Subscription may be required.)

Essential Health Care: Count the Mouth

This JADA editorial reinforces the importance of recognizing oral health as an essential component of health care and calls attention to the need to include the mouth in broader conversations about health and care delivery.

Promoting A Lifespan Approach to Oral Health and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life

The authors of this editorial highlight opportunities to move beyond traditional clinical models toward approaches that recognize oral health as an integral part of health and quality of life across the lifespan.

From Margins to Mainstream: Reimagining Oral Health in Integrated Healthcare

This recent article calls for systemic approaches that position oral health as an essential component of overall health, with implications for education, workforce development, policy, and care delivery.

Actions for Reforming Oral Healthcare to Combat Noncommunicable Disease: A Workforce Challenge

This Journal of Dentistry review examines the role of the oral health workforce in addressing noncommunicable diseases and persistent inequities in access to care.

AROUND THE WORLD

Supporting Healthy Aging Through Better Oral Health

As populations around the world continue to age, FDI World Dental Federation is highlighting the importance of maintaining oral health and oral function as part of healthy aging. Its Oral Health for an Ageing Population initiative offers evidence-based resources for policymakers, health professionals, caregivers and communities, reinforcing the need to integrate oral health into strategies that support healthier, longer lives.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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