Successful Aging—the Case for Prosthetic Therapy

Abstract

Reduced chewing ability in community-dwelling older people is linked to the presence of removable dentures and having fewer than 20 natural teeth present. Compensation is provided by chewing longer and swallowing larger food particles. Replacement of posterior tooth loss by fixed or removable prostheses increases the activity of the masticatory muscles, and reduces chewing time and the number of chewing strokes until swallowing. In residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities undernutrition is prevalent because of general medical problems, reduced appetite, and poor quality of life. Poor oral health and xerostomia are often present and may have a negative effect on masticatory function and nutrition, precipitating avoidance of difficult-to-chew foods. There is no evidence that the provision of prosthetic therapies can markedly improve dietary intakes; however, it might improve oral comfort and quality of life and avoid enteral alimentation.

Oral health status in a group of the elderly population residing at home

“…This factor, however, was not examined in this study. Similarly, Budtz-Jorgenson et al 2 reported that chewing problems of older persons were due to having less than 20 natural teeth and the use of removable dentures.…”

“…However, the oral health of elderly people is far from optimal. Treatment needs are high due to edentulism, missing teeth, caries, periodontal diseases and tooth wear resulting in impaired oral functions [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] . Therefore, professionally assessed treatment needs are very high among this age group.…”

Influence of age on mastication: effects on eating behaviour

“…It is associated with a general physical decay (Hirano et al 1999) and/or related to a reduction of daily physical activity (Osterberg et al 1996;Miura et al 1997). Self-assessment surveys suggest that a significant impairment of masticatory ability occurs when fewer than twenty well-distributed teeth are present (Agerberg & Carlsson, 1981;Steele et al 1997;Budtz-Jorgensen et al 2000). However, such self-assessments are poorly correlated with objective indicators of chewing efficiency (Agerberg & Carlsson, 1981;N'gom & Woda, 2002).…”

Oral Bisphosphonate Therapy may not Significantly Compromise Dental Implants Success

“…8,9 The use of implants for dental rehabilitation may improve the quality of life in older patients. 10 Indeed, dental implants have become a viable treatment strategy for replacing missing teeth, 11 and the use of this treatment is increasing greatly.…”