Securing Oral Health and Prevention in Older Patients

With the onset of frailty, multimorbidity and dependency of care, several risk factors for oral and general health arise that require special prevention and treatment concepts. Medication intake causes a dry mouth in around 30% of older people, presenting not only a significant impact on the well-being, but also implying an increased risk for root caries. Swallowing disorders are also common and, in combination with high bacterial colonization of the oral cavity, can lead to fatal aspiration pneumonia. Prevention strategies should be tailored to the individual needs of patients

Learning outcomes

Prevention strategies should be tailored to the individual needs of patients and not limited to caries and periodontal disease. The Seattle Pathway of Care uses the term ‘oral health plan’ and suggests prevention guidelines depending on the degree of functional decline. Particularly in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, it is necessary to adapt the treatment and prevention plan in light of the progressive nature of these incurable diseases. Extraction criteria must be considered in light of the risk of bacterial colonization of hard tooth surfaces

Speaker

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