Caries and the older patient

Ageing of the population, together with prolonged retention of teeth, has brought new challenges to dentistry. Whereas in the past oral care for the elderly was restricted to provision of dentures, older patients are now presenting with dental caries and failed restorations. These problems may have...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDental update Vol. 38; no. 6; p. 376
Main Authors de Mata, Cristiane, McKenna, Gerald, Burke, Francis M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.07.2011
Subjects
Aged
Dental Atraumatic Restorative Treatment
Dental Care for Aged
Dental Caries - prevention & control
Dental Caries - therapy
Dental Prosthesis Repair
Dental Restoration Failure
Feeding Behavior
Health Status
Humans
Oral Hygiene
Quality of Life
Risk Assessment
Root Caries - prevention & control
Tooth Loss - prevention & control
Xerostomia - complications
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Summary:Ageing of the population, together with prolonged retention of teeth, has brought new challenges to dentistry. Whereas in the past oral care for the elderly was restricted to provision of dentures, older patients are now presenting with dental caries and failed restorations. These problems may have an impact on their general health and quality of life. Poor oral hygiene, xerostomia and diet are among the risk factors for caries in older patients and need to be addressed in order to achieve control of the disease. Carious lesions can be treated conservatively in many cases or may need surgical management. Caries is an oral health issue among older patients and can result in tooth loss. Oral health has a great impact on general health and quality of life of elderly people.
ISSN:0305-5000
DOI:10.12968/denu.2011.38.6.376