title: The patient with Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Victims of Alzheimer's disease show a gradual and steady deterioration in memory, orientation, emotional stability, language capacity, abstract thinking, motor skills, and, ultimately, self care. Cognitive and motor deficits are accompanied by a gradual inability to perform adequate oral hygiene. Alzheimer's disease also interferes with the patient's ability to communicate dental symptoms of pain or dysfunction, and progressive deterioration of cognition interferes with the patient's ability to tolerate most therapeutic interventions. When treating patient's with Alzheimer's disease, oral health care providers must develop timely, preventive, and therapeutic strategies compatible with the patient's physical and cognitive ability to undergo and respond to dental care. They should strive to achieve those goals with the same ethical, moral, and professional standards of care as may be appropriate in the management of any other patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry and Maxillofacial Prosthetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gitto
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Moroni
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Terezhalmy
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sandu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities / Q000145:classification / Q000379:methods; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000628:therapy; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent; D018450:Disease Progression; D004990:Ethics, Dental; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D012648:Self Care; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy