A review about oral health and dental care among the aged population

The population of the elderly is growing, and oral health of this specific population is suboptimal because the prevalence of caries, xerostomia, edentulism, and oral cancer has increased among them. Impaired oral health may cause many problems and negatively affect the quality of life (QoL). Due to the increased need for preventive and restorative dental procedures with aging, effective strategies must be implemented in this respect. Thus, it is necessary to assess the oral health status and dental care needs of the geriatric population.

A literature search was conducted for studies published between 2015 and 2020 in the PubMed, Nature, Wiley, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Of 72 articles identified, 26 articles that were case reports and case series or had irrelevant titles or keywords were excluded, and 46 articles remained for data extraction.

The most common oral problems in the elderly included xerostomia, oral pain, impaired deglutition, and mastication problems. Also, they suffered from edentulism, orofacial pains, pneumonia, and cognitive problems. Thus, they may need special dental care.

Provision of dental care must be promoted to ensure that older people have appropriate access to oral health services. Many items affect the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of the elderly. Thus, dentists, dental hygienists, caregivers, and geriatricians must focus on improving the elderly’s oral health status. Oral health promotion programs in the elderly can decrease their oral problems and improve their OHRQoL.