Oral health in the WHO Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework: a scoping review protocol

Background: Population ageing has shifted global health priorities towards maintaining functional ability and intrinsic capacity in later life rather than treating individual diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework operationalises healthy ageing through the construct of intrinsic capacity (IC), defined across five domains: locomotion, vitality, cognition, psychological well-being, and sensory capacity. While oral health is increasingly recognised as foundational to nutrition, communication, social participation, and overall functional ability in later life, it is not formally incorporated in the ICOPE screening tool, in-depth assessment, or standard integrated care pathway. The extent to which existing literature links oral health to the five IC domains and to ICOPE-aligned care for older adults has not been systematically mapped. Objective: This scoping review aims to systematically map available evidence on oral health within the WHO ICOPE framework and the intrinsic capacity construct for older adults, addressing three research questions: (RQ1) How has oral health been conceptualised and operationalised in studies applying the WHO ICOPE framework or the IC construct? (RQ2) Across the five IC domains, what is the nature and extent of evidence linking each domain to oral health status or function in older adults? (RQ3) To what extent has oral health been integrated into ICOPE-aligned assessment tools, screening pathways, or integrated care interventions, and what implementation gaps exist? Methods: This scoping review will be conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews and reported per the PRISMA-ScR guideline. Eligibility is defined using the Population–Concept–Context framework: older adults aged 60 years or older; oral health in relation to the WHO ICOPE framework, the IC construct, or integrated care pathways for older people; any country and any care setting. Five bibliographic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection) will be searched from 1 January 2015 onwards, supplemented by grey literature (WHO IRIS, Google Scholar) and citation tracking. Two reviewers will independently conduct screening (Rayyan) and data charting. Findings will be synthesised through descriptive numerical summaries and thematic mapping across the five IC domains. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required as no primary data will be collected from human participants; an SNU IRB exemption application will nonetheless be submitted. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication as a scoping review article and through presentations at gerontology and geriatric dentistry conferences. The OSF-registered protocol and the final published review will be made openly available.