A project will improve the oral health of rural seniors

The INCLIVA Health Research Institute (@incliva_iis), from the University Clinical Hospital of Valencia, participates in the European project Evaluation of oral health in rural areas (ESOR)with which one seeks improve oral health of older peopleas well as those people with chronic diseases, who live in rural areas.

This project, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg Program (European Cohesion Policy) SUDOE, with a total budget of 1,345,131 euros, will take place in the SUDOE region (Southwest Europe), specifically in France (Occitania), Portugal (Alentejo) and also in Spain (Andalusia, Murcia and Valencian Community).

Incliva researchers. Photo: INCLIVA.

The project, in which INCLIVA participates together with the General Directorate of Public Health of the Ministry of Health, is led by Center Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU), of Montpellier, Pôle Santé Publique et Ecologie de la Santé. The Department of Stomatology, Preventive, Community and Evidence-Based Dentistry – OPiCOBE of the University of Valencia also participates; the University of Murcia; the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the University of Lisbon; the Foundation for Biosanitary Research of Eastern Andalusia (FIBAO) and the Foundation for the Management of Health Research of Seville (FISEVI). In the case of INCLIVA, it will be in charge of coordinate the evaluation of training courses offered in the three ESOR participating countries. It will also analyze strategies, barriers and obstacles for the implementation of oral telemedicine in Spain.

“The ESOR project positions the Valencian Community, through the coordination and leadership of INCLIVA, as a key agent in the transformation of oral health care aimed at older adults and chronically ill patients“, highlighted the doctor Veronica Ausinafrom the Cardiometabolic Research Group in Primary Care at INCLIVA, principal investigator of the ESOR project at INCLIVA and Primary Care dentist at the Malvarrosa Health Center.

Three lines of action

The objective of this project is Addressing inequality in access to oral healthcarea problem that is aggravated in rural areas due to the lack of professionals since in some places assistance is mainly private, which limits access to vulnerable populations, as is the case in Spain, as explained by INCLIVA in a note.

In this way, the ESOR project will provide a solution to this problem, and will promoting social cohesion, equal access to healthcare and the reduction of inequalities in oral health between urban and rural areas. It is also intended to strengthen the resilience of health systems through social innovation.

Specifically, the project is structured in three interconnected lines of actionbased on the application of telemedicine and the increase in professional skills. These are: Literacy and knowledge; Identification and assistance; and Public health strategy.

For the launch of ESOR, which will have a duration of 3 yearsending March 31, 2028, a common methodologyso that I can also move to other European countries.

“The proposed strategy is comprehensive and multifacetedcombining oral health literacy of the patient and healthcare personnel, innovation in digital diagnosis, in line with the European digital health strategy, and contributing directly to the implementation of the Oral health expansion plan in Spain” explains Ausina. “This comprehensive approach not only addresses existing inequalities in oral healthbut also establishes a replicable model to improve the quality of life and strengthen the resilience of health systems in rural communities.