Oral Assessment of the Dentulous Elderly Patient

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dental Status, Quality of Life, and Mortality in an Older Community Population: A Multivariate Approach

Appollonio

Carabellese

Frattola

et al. 1997

“…Patients of all ages report more physician visits per year than dental visits, and this difference increases with increasing age 76,77 (Figure 3). Inasmuch as most oral diseases are preventable and treatable, physicians and nurses caring for older patients need either to recruit dental expertise routinely as part of their overall assessment or to familiarize themselves with the appearance of oral health and diseases states 78 . Dentists should refer patients to physicians for previously undiscovered or inadequately controlled medical problems such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, and often need to draw on medical expertise in order to provide dental treatment at minimal risk to the patient.…”

Section: The Non‐dentist's Contribution To the Older Patient's Oral Hmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Oral Health in the Older Patient

Shay

Ship

1995

106

Oral health is important to general health because stomatologic disease affects more than the mouth. Increasing preservation of teeth among present and future cohorts of older people has increased their risk for serious disease from oral pathogens. The intent of this paper is twofold: first, to alert non-dental health personnel to the significance of oral health and oral disease in the older adult; and second, to recruit the assistance of non-dental professionals in helping patients to achieve and maintain an optimal oral condition. Normative aging processes alone have little effect on the oral cavity, but common disease processes affecting oral health include tooth loss, dental caries, periodontal diseases, and oral mucosal diseases (including candidiasis and squamous cell carcinoma). Systemic diseases and their treatments frequently affect salivary, oral motor, and oral sensory functions. As a result of bacteremia or aspiration of oral contents, organisms of oral origin can be responsible for serious nonstomatological infections. Clinicians caring for older people need to recognize the importance of stomatological health, include an oral component in the multidisciplinary geriatric assessment, support the education of patients on aspects of dental health, and advocate the expansion of personal and public oral health benefits for older adults.

“…In other instances, the management of oral problems related to local and systemic diseases can be managed by the physician. Gordon and Jahnigen 59 recently described a technique for oral screening examinations. Therefore, we will only briefly review an oral‐health assessment technique for nondental professionals (Table 4).…”

Section: Oral Assessment Of the Older Patientmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geriatric Grand Rounds: Oral Diseases in Older Adults

Dolan

Monopoli²,

Kaurich³

et al. 1990

In the case presented, a 65-year-old man with multiple dental, medical, and social problems benefited from interdisciplinary assessment and treatment. Despite his poor oral-health status and oral-health behaviors upon admission, patient education and dental therapy resulted in improved daily oral hygiene, elimination of oral diseases, and improved oral function. The overall quality of life of any individual, particularly an older one, can be enhanced through oral-disease prevention, health promotion, and, when indicated, dental therapy. This patient was treated in a hospital environment with a well-established team approach to geriatric care. However, regardless of the care setting, the physician can play a key role in improving the oral health status and quality of life of older adults by including an oral screening examination as part of the periodic comprehensive geriatric assessment, recognizing oral pathology, requesting dental consultations and encouraging appropriate dental service utilization.