AHWIN Papers No. 2: The Impact and Future of Japan’s 8020 Campaign

Dr. Midori Tsuneishi and Dr. Tamotsu Sato
April 2021

Over the past three decades, Japan has been carrying out a nationwide campaign aimed at helping people retain more teeth into their later years. More specifically, the goal of the campaign is to ensure that people still have 20 of their original adult teeth when they reach the age of 80. Over the course of the campaign, the percentage of people achieving that “8020” goal has grown fivefold, from around 10 percent to around 50 percent. Improved tooth retention does not just affect people’s quality of life, but is also linked to better overall physical and mental health, and thus the success of this campaign offers an important model for promoting healthy and active aging.

The AHWIN Papers is a publication of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) in partnership with the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and carried out under the auspices of the Asian Health and Wellbeing Initiative (AHWIN).

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