Dear editor
Gil-Montoya et al has recently published an interesting article in Clinical Interventions in Aging entitled: “Oral health in the elderly patient and its impact on general well-being: a nonsystematic review”.Citation1 Authors presented a non-systematic review of the published data regarding the oral health status of the elderly and its main repercussions, including its impact on general health and nutrition.
As the authors underline, the risk of cavities, root caries, and more commonly observed tooth sensitivity or dry mouth increases with age. Acute and chronic comorbidities, as well as pharmacologic agents used in the treatment of these diseases show a significant impact on oral health.Citation1,Citation2
Poor oral health can affect a person’s quality of life. Among those aspects for keeping up good oral health; daily oral hygiene practices, health education, diet type, and proper oral health policy formulation are very important.Citation3 Actually, epidemiological research of dental problems indicates that most of the elderly neglect hygiene and oral care – brushing their teeth only once a day or not al all, not flossing daily, not cleaning their tongues, not replacing missing teeth with dentures, and avoiding regular dental checkups.Citation4,Citation5 Teeth loss and edentulism may be a possible outcome of such actions particularly in elderly. Some authors propose that edentulism could be a good mortality predictor and others associate it with a substantive quality of life impairment.Citation1 While the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research reported that the prevalence of both partial and total tooth loss in seniors has decreased from the early 1970s, seniors over 65 have lost an average of 13 teeth (including wisdom teeth), and 26% of seniors over 65 have no remaining teeth.Citation6 Poor oral hygiene is prevalent among older people all over the world and it is highly associated with oral self-care, behavior, habits, and socio-economic status.Citation2,Citation7 Good daily dental hygiene is necessary to maintain good oral health and quality of life in older people. To provide appropriate dental care to the elderly it is also important to promote and provide health education for the elderly, as well as for oral health professionals, public health specialists, and legislators.
In the current demographic and economic perspectives, this is one of the major public health problems of the 21st century.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
References
- Gil-MontoyaJAFerreira de MelloALBarriosRGonzalez-MolesMABravoMOral health in the elderly patient and its impact on general well-being: a nonsystematic reviewClin Interv Aging20151046146725709420
- SkorupkaWŻurekKKokotTAssessment of oral hygiene in adultsCent Eur J Public Health201220323323623285527
- SteeleJGSandersAESladeGDHow do age and tooth loss affect oral health impacts and quality of life? A study comparing two national samplesCommunity Dent Oral Epidemiol200432210711415061859
- TalwarMChawlaHSGeriatric dentistry: is rethinking still required to begin undergraduate education?Indian J Dent Res200819217517718445942
- MoynihanPPetersenPEDiet, nutrition and the prevention of dental diseasesPublic Health Nutr200471A20122614972061
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research [homepage on the Internet]BethesdaTooth loss in seniors (age 65 and over)2011 Available from: http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/DataStatistics/FindDataByTopic/ToothLoss/ToothLossSeniors65andOlder.htmAccessed March 26, 2015
- ChalmersJJohnsonVTangJHTitlerMGEvidence-based protocol: oral hygiene care for functionally dependent and cognitively impaired older adultsJ Gerontol Nurs2004301151215575186