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Oral Health and Older Adults
People are living longer and healthier lives. And, older adults also are more likely to keep their teeth for a lifetime than they were a decade ago. However, studies indicate that older people have the highest rates of periodontal disease and need to do more to maintain good oral health.
Whatever your age, it's important to keep your mouth clean, healthy and feeling good. And it's important to know the state of your periodontal health.
• At least half of non-institutionalized people over age 55 have periodontitis.
• Almost one out of four people age 65 and older have lost all of their teeth.
• Receding gum tissue affects the majority of older people.
• Periodontal disease and tooth decay are the leading causes of tooth loss in older adults.
What you may not realize is that oral health is not just important for maintaining a nice-looking smile and being able to eat corn on the cob. Good oral health is essential to quality of life. Consider a few of the reasons:
• Every tooth in your mouth plays an important role in speaking, chewing and in maintaining proper alignment of other teeth.
• A major cause of failure in joint replacements is infection, which can travel to the site of the replacement from the mouth in people with periodontal disease.
• People with dentures or loose and missing teeth often have restricted diets since biting into fresh fruits and vegetables is often not only difficult, but also painful. This likely means they don't get proper nutrition.
• Most men and women age 65 and older report that a smile is very important to a person's appearance. And, maybe most importantly, recent research has advanced the idea that periodontal disease is linked to a number of major health concerns such as heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and diabetes.
While your likelihood of developing periodontal disease increases with age, the good news is that research suggests that these higher rates may be related to risk factors other than age. So, periodontal disease is not an inevitable aspect of aging. Risk factors that may make older people more susceptible include general health status, diminished immune status, medications, depression, worsening memory, diminished salivary flow, functional impairments and change in financial status. |
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Untitled Document
ORAL HEALTH TOPICS
Introduction
Flouride
The Preventative Program
Fillings
Amalgam (Silver and Gold) Fillings
Infection Control
Medication and Heart Disease
Latex Allergy
Age and Oral Health
Tobacco
Oral Piercing
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