Polypharmacy and Oral Health among the Elderly

Abstract

Over the age of 65 populations is constantly increasing in the past 50 years. The elderly population is exploding. This is based on the fact that the living conditions of this population is improving, as well as individual and community health, and advances in sanitation. Elderly have the highest medication use in the world compared to other segments of the population. The goal of the medication use is to treat diseases and to make them feel better, which increases their quality of life. Over use of some medications has become a public health problem. Multiple drug use (Polypharmacy), causes an increase in the risk of side effects and interaction between drugs, treatment costs, hospitalization requirements, rates of incompatibility to medical treatment and resulting problems. The purpose of the scientific evidence of the literature can represent information and reviews based on polypharmacy during dental treatment to emphasize the importance of the recognition of the risks. As a result, periodontal disease, dental caries and xerostomia may be linked to complications associated with multiple drug use in the elderly.Keywords: Polypharmacy; Oral health; Dental caries; Oral diseases; Elderly population population accelerated. With the existing populationincrease projection it is estimated the world willbe home to 8.909 billion people in 2050. Due to the extension of life expectancy and decrease in birth rate, the world is aging more rapidly than the previous 50 years [2].Elderly population is constantly increasing in the past 50 years on a global scale. According to WHO, the number of people over the age of 65 will increase by 85% in the next 25 years, and working population will increase by 45 percent. As of 2015 901 million people are at the age of 60 or above, which makes 12% of the world population Figure 1. Over the age of 65 populations is increased by 3.26% on an annual basis. Over the age of 65 population is expected to reach 1.4 billion in 2030 and 2.1 billion in 2050 [3]. The most important reasons for this increase are the decrease in infant and child deaths, achievements in vaccination and health conditions and sustainability thereof as well as development of antibiotics. However, the fundamental factor is the decrease in mortality, not only in infants and children but in all age groups. Another reason is that people are exceeding the age of 65 which is life expectancy. For this reason, it is expected that welfare of elderly people will be found in the list of problems with priority in the areas with increase in the following years [4].With aging, deceleration and degeneration can be witnessed in system functions as a result of the changes in human body. Because of age or associated conditions, level of absorption, blood flow and emission of basal and stimulated stomach acid decreases in gastrointestinal system. Absorption can also be affected in the elderly as a result of using multiple medicines simultaneously. For example, congestive heart failure, which is one of the most frequently seen dise...