title: Oral health issues in the nutrition of institutionalized elders.
abstract: Oral health is critical to systemic health and quality of life for the elderly, especially the institutionalized elderly, who are at high risk for oral and nutritional problems. Oral health is an integral component of overall nutritional health, just as nutrition plays a vital role in overall oral health. This article reviews the critical factors in the relationship among oral, nutritional, and systemic health and urges ongoing collaboration of providers of health care to reduce the rate of morbidity and mortality in institutionalized elders.
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, USA. saunders@uthscsa.edu
authors.forename: Michèle J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Susan P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Stattmiller
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kirk
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005850:Geriatric Dentistry; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D009909:Oral Health