Oral health in the long-term care facility.
For a variety of reasons, residents of long-term care facilities often lack basic dental care, leading to poor nutrition, needless pain, medical complications, and unnecessary tooth loss. The "Healthy People 2010" initiative included a goal to reduce the number of older adults who have had all their natural teeth extracted, and increase the proportion of long-term care residents who use the oral health care system each year. Medication is a primary or contributing cause of oral problems. Although the overall incidence of dental disease is decreasing, around 50% of adults have some signs of periodontal disease; 35% have some root damage. Poor oral health in long-term care facilities has numerous causes and tragic results. Several steps, including calcium and vitamin D supplementation and careful medication monitoring can help prevent tooth loss, combat caries, and decrease periodontal disease.
Wick
Jeannette Y
JY
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services; D010595:Pharmacists; D012112:Residential Facilities; D012307:Risk Factors; D009057:Stomatognathic Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*