Abstract
AIM: This study aimed to examine the global burden, trends, and socioeconomic inequalities associated with oral disorders in adults aged 65 years and older from 1990 to 2021, and to project future trends to inform targeted public health strategies. METHODS: Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, we examined age-standardized DALY rates for oral conditions. Analytical methods included Joinpoint regression (for trend analysis), the slope index of inequality and concentration index(for inequality assessment), frontier analysis (for efficiency assessment), and autoregressive integrated moving average modelling (to project trends through 2035). CONCLUSION: Absolute case counts for all oral diseases increased significantly (by 112%-142%) from 1990 to 2021. Although age-standardized disability rates declined for edentulism, dental caries, and other oral disorders, they remained stagnant for periodontal diseases and lip/oral cavity cancer. Socioeconomic disparities persisted or even widened, with disease-specific patterns. Projections to 2035 indicate a growing burden among older populations, highlighting an urgent need for equitable and targeted public health interventions.