Dental Health for Senior Citizens

Dental Health for Senior Citizens

Introduction

Along with the problems of normal physiological process of aging elderly population is at increased risk of chronic diseases and increased intake of medications and their side effects (Altani , and Wyatt , 2002 . The aging process , chronic disease and medicines contribute to various dental problems of the elderly . Those in the dental professions are seeing more and more need for dental services for the aged . As such , improved dental care , use of fluorides and increased dental awareness has improved the edentulism rates (Altani , and Wyatt

2002 . Hence , it becomes of paramount interest for both dentist and dental hygienist to identify the dental needs of the elderly and also to know the implications of the general health condition of the body on the provision of dental care to the aged people . This essay explores the dental hygiene issues of the elderly and the suitable services and interventions that be provided as a dental hygienist

Dental problems in the elderly

The main dental problems in the elderly are oral infections like caries and periodontal disease , inflammatory mucosal diseases of the mouth and the oral cavity , and denture-related problems (Altani , and Wyatt , 2002 . It is important to properly identify the needs of dental hygiene in this age group because , research has shown that poor oral health is associated with other general health issues like respiratory infections and nutritional deficiencies (Altani , and Wyatt , 2002

Dental health is not only related to teeth , but also to the gums and other...