Denture-related problems of patients in acute geriatric care

Abstract

Background With increasing frailty and complaint-oriented utilization of dental care, the prevalence of oral diseases also increases. Aim To clarify whether there is a need for dental prosthodontic treatment during residential acute geriatric rehabilitation. Methods Within 3 weeks in a hospital for acute geriatric patients, 79 out of 157 newly admitted patients were interviewed as study participants (age: median 79.0 years, range 66–96 years, female 51.9%), dental findings were recorded, treatment needs were determined but X‑rays were not taken. Results Of the participants 31.1% had not seen a dentist for more than 1 year and 18.2% were edentulous. The median number of teeth in dentate participants was 16 (range 1–28 teeth); based on all participants, there was a median of 12.0 teeth (range 0–28 teeth). Of the 52 denture wearers (45 upper jaw and 43 lower jaw), 5 each of the maxillary and mandibular dentures could not be assessed because they were not available at the hospital. Moderate denture deficiencies were present in 62.5% of participants wearing upper dentures (mandibular 55.3%). Conclusion Dental treatment is needed in this vulnerable patient group. Therefore, the oral cavity should be assessed as part of the geriatric assessment. The available data confirm that the use of validated assessment instruments, such as the mini dental assessment as part of the comprehensive geriatric assessment would be useful. In addition to an oral examination, simple dental treatment should be provided to reduce infections and improve chewing ability. The geriatrician should be informed of the urgency of treatment. The overall rehabilitative approach of acute geriatric treatment would be complete if oral health would not be excluded.

Factors influencing the selection of oral healthcare providers in multidisciplinary Nutrition Support Team for malnourished inpatients: A cross‐sectional study

“…These studies suggested that dental professionals should provide specialised dental interventions to inpatients that are appropriate for the patient's condition. Among the various oral environmental deteriorations observed in inpatients, 6–8 problems related to dentures have been reported to be more common in older adult patients admitted to acute care hospitals 31 . The results of the present study revealed that dental professionals need to take the lead in providing oral health management to such patients.…”

“…Among the various oral environmental deteriorations observed in inpatients, [6][7][8] problems related to dentures have been reported to be more common in older adult patients admitted to acute care hospitals. 31 The results of the present study revealed that dental professionals need to take the lead in providing oral health management to such patients. Denture management is only performed by dental professionals and improves nutritional status by restoring masticatory ability.…”

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and Quality of Life Aspects in Patients with Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC)

“…OFC was classified into four resilience capacity levels [32,33]. From these parameters, the criteria with the lowest grade were used to specify the resilience capacity level (RCL) as follows [63]: RCL1: Normal. RCL2: Slightly reduced.…”