Oral health considerations for the elderly - problems and management strategies

Demographic changes in the population of India have resulted in increase in life expectancy with a gradual increase in percentage of older adults. Ageing is associated with physiological changes, systemic health problems (physical and mental), decreased activity of daily living and increased intake of medications. Provision of dental treatment to the elderly should not have biases and should be based on medical, cognitive and functional status of the elderly patient. Oral health services may be provided in a hospital or a domiciliary setting. For a dentist careful consideration of multiple problems before starting treatment is a cardinal rule of geriatric oral health care. Oral infections may have implications in systemic health. Maintenance of optimum oral health status is important for general well being and quality of life. Considering the special needs of elderly and the dimensions involved in provision of oral health care, infrastructure and manpower in hospitals needs to be upgraded to manage the current and future workload.