Oral health issues of late Baby Boomers (1956–1964)

Abstract

Objective To examine the issues and forces on the oral health of late Baby Boomers born in 1956–1964 that have shaped their oral health status and the opportunities and disparities in oral health care that this generational cohort has experienced. Methods Past and current literature on the oral health status of this cohort was reviewed in light of concurrent social, political, and economic climates in order to better understand current and future needs in oral health care for this generation. Results The majority of late Baby Boomers have not yet had their 65th birthday. They have benefitted from more opportunities for education, preventive health care, and technological advances in dentistry and medicine than any other prior generation, including their big brothers and sisters—the early Baby Boomers. Yet they have had fewer economic advantages than the early Boomers. Age prevalent diseases, conditions, and medications common to older adults will pose new risks to oral health. Discrete, longitudinal data on oral health status and needs by generational cohort—such as for the late Baby Boomer cohort—is lacking. Conclusions Despite retaining more of their dentition than any other generation, it also evident that over the course of their lifetime, poverty, racism, and limited education have been unrelenting barriers to oral healthcare and undermine outcomes of care.