Meeting the oral health needs of institutionalized elderly.
Numerous impairments cause suffering to the institutionalized elderly person. The medically compromised or severely demented patient, especially one with swallowing difficulties, presents a challenge to the dental practitioner. This paper summarizes typical geriatric dental problems that caregivers in a long-term care (LTC) facility should find recognizable. It also describes palliative and preventive treatment modalities that help improve the quality of life for such institutionalized patients.
Martin
K U
KU
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center-New York, (DVAMC-NY) 10010-5050.
Martin
J O
JO
D000368:Aged; D005850:Geriatric Dentistry / Q000592:standards*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D011314:Preventive Health Services