Elder neglect—Oral diseases and injuries

Abstract

Elder neglect (EN) is the failure of a designated caregiver to meet the needs of a dependent older person. World EN prevalence, meta-analyzed in this study, is 1.0% or 1.8% according to different statistical methods. Referring alleged EN cases to Adult Protective Services (APSs) by healthcare workers (HCWs) is mandatory in many countries. However, only few claims are substantiated, as EN could be confused with SelfNeglect, and neglect could be unintentional or due to caregiver unawareness.Screening tools are inaccurate, and their use is discouraged by public health organizations, because they lead to too many false positives, which engulf the already overwhelmed APSs. HCWs need effective tools with objective judgments, which do not hamper the HCW-caregiver-patient rapport and prevent lawsuits when allegations are unfounded. Orofacial EN manifestations (poor oral/denture hygiene, lack of needed/improper dentures, dry mouth, skin/mucosal rashes) are essential Forensic Markers of EN. I classified EN-associated oral diseases according to the unmet needs into four groups: (1) traumatic injuries due to lack of caregiver vigilance (e.g., maxillofacial fractures); (2) diseases due to oral hygiene deficiency (e.g., root caries); (3) diseases typical of the elderly with late/no diagnosis (e.g., oral cancer); and (4) diseases typical of the elderly exacerbated by psychological distress (e.g., oral lichen planus). K E Y W O R D Selder neglect, oral and maxillofacial injuries, oral diseases

The controversial natural history of oral herpes simplex virus type 1 infection

“…Elders who develop PHGS usually show mild lesions and no lymphadenopathy. Conversely, PHGS developed among younger adults is more severe (Ajar, & Chauvin, 2002;Petti, 2018).…”

Impact of Seniors Centers on oral health-related quality of life of older adults

“…A possible explanation for this finding is that older adults seek SC to improve their daily lives and interact socially, especially with individuals of the same age. This behavior enables them to build new bonds of relationship and favors their physical, psychological and social well-being 22 . This is especially important because depression or depressive symptoms are the most common co-morbidity among older adults 23 , affecting their quality of life 24 and OHRQoL 7 .…”

“…This finding only indicates the current situation of older adults in Brazil, a group in which women outnumber men 13 , seen women are more likely to adopt preventive health behaviors than men 28,29 . Furthermore, the cross-sectional design of this study was a limitation, since it precluded inferences about causal directions, especially because a negative or positive OHRQoL perception may not be a stable characteristic of an individual throughout life, being susceptible to environmental factors 22 . Our study also presents strengths that should be highlighted.…”

Sense of Coherence mediates the association between temporomandibular disorders and quality of life

“…The cross‐sectional design of the study precludes temporal and causal inferences, especially because SOC is not a stable characteristic of an individual throughout life, and therefore, it may be constantly affected by environmental factors. For example, with the increase in neglect among elders, this environmental factor may change SOC among the elders overtime (Petti, ). Moreover, it was not possible to examine the influence of other oral and systemic comorbidities frequently found in elderly individuals that may be associated with QoL, TMD, and SOC (Oghli, List, John, & Larsson, ).…”