Oral health of elderly person has many close links to general health and wellbeing. Periodontal disease is associated with various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and stroke. Common oral health conditions among the elderly population, such as xerostomia/hyposalivation, difficulty in swallowing, yeast infection, poor taste sensation, and poor chewing ability, can lead to poor quality of life. Epidemiological data show higher proportion of Swedish elderly persons maintains their natural teeth in their old age. The Swedish population surveys report the proportion of persons aged 65-76 years being edentulous has decreased from higher than 80% in 1968 to lower than 30% in 2002. The 34-year longitudinal data analysis shows that persons who were born in more recent birth cohort had lower risk of tooth loss and chewing difficulty at old age.The analysis also shows that childhood social position, an indicator for risk and protective factors, increases risk for multiple tooth loss at midlife and also are associated with social position at midlife. Social position at midlife contributes to multiple tooth loss at old age, which subsequently increases risk for difficulty chewing hard food. Additional data analysis also shows that chewing difficulty increases risk for cognitive impairment.The longitudinal data analysis also shows that prevalence of multiple tooth loss is higher in women than in men at old age but not in midlife, while there is no gender different in chewing difficulty neither at midlife nor at old age.While elderly persons tend to maintain their teeth at old age, it becomes great important that they also maintain good oral hygiene since poor oral hygiene can increase risk for periodontal diseases and aspiration pneumonia. Special attention should also be given to prevent tooth loss in women in mid-to-late life.