title: Minimal intervention dentistry and older patients. Part 1: Risk assessment and caries prevention.
abstract: Ten million people in the UK today are aged over 65. The latest projections estimate that there will be 5 1/2 million more people aged 65 and older in the next 20 years. This projected pattern of population ageing will have profound consequences for dentistry. Minimal intervention dentistry (MID) is a modern evidence-based approach to caries management in dentate patients that uses the 'medical model' whereby disease is controlled by the 'oral physician'. This approach offers considerable benefits over conventional dentistry for older patients. It encourages patients to be responsible for their oral health through the provision of both knowledge and motivation. MID encompasses risk assessment for dental disease, early detection and control of disease processes, and minimally invasive treatment. Clinical Relevance: Risk assessment tools can aid the general dental practitioner and the patient to develop a suitable caries prevention programme for that individual and reduce the need for future operative intervention.
authors: Restorative Dentistry, University College Cork, Republic of Ireland.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Hayes
authors: Edith
authors: E
authors: Allen
authors: Cristiane
authors: C
authors: da Mata
authors: Gerald
authors: G
authors: McKenna
authors: Francis
authors: F
authors: Burke
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016321:Dental Care for Aged; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003732:Dental Caries Activity Tests; D003733:Dental Caries Susceptibility; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods; D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011157:Population Dynamics; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local; D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D010895:Pit and Fissure Sealants