Alzhemiers disease and oral care

 

We all know about alzhemiers disease also called as dementia. Dementia is one of the main causes of disability among elderly people. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects elderly people’s ability to perform daily living activities. Dementia is the main subtype of dementia and causes declining memory, reasoning, and communication skills. They also have behavioural and psychological symptoms, such as depression and aggression.

 It is essential for them to maintain good oral health, as oral health is an important and integral part of their general health. Neglecting oral health allows dental diseases to develop, and these diseases are difficult and costly to treat. However, dental diseases can be treated with care rather than hospitalisation and emergency care. Elderly people should establish daily oral hygiene care routines during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. They should have regular dental examinations and early minimal interventions to prevent the need for extensive and complicated procedures. 

Maintaining oral health becomes challenging, however, when dementia disease progresses to the middle and late stages. Because elderly people might forget or lose interest in keeping their teeth healthy, caretakers and community health workers may need to take over this task. Dentists should provide guidance on the maintenance of oral health, as the techniques used to provide this support vary depending on the elderly people concerned. The purpose of this topic is to provide an overview of oral health and the importance of oral care for elderly people with dementia. Our Smile dental will provide you the best awareness for how to deal with dementia people and their oral care.

The oral health of elderly people with Alzheimer’s disease can be worse than that of those without dementia . A recent systematic review found that elderly people with dementia have higher incidents of coronal and root caries, retained roots and plausible causes of orofacial pain . Moreover, elderly people with dementia generally have oral hygiene issues, which are to be expected due not only to age but also to dementia . Specifically, they tend to have more prevalent periodontal problems, including gingival bleeding, periodontitis, and attachment loss. They may also suffer from xerostomia and oral lesions, such as stomatitis and Candidiasis.

 Malnutrition is another issue associated with poor oral health. A lot of elderly people with Alzheimer’s disease suffer from poor oral health . Compromised oral health (e.g., tooth loss, xerostomia) in elderly people impairs the sensory and masticatory functions; thus, adversely affecting their nutritional intake .

 The goals of treating dementia patients is to control dental disease and preserve function, and enhance the quality of life. Hence, the dentist needs to strike a sensible balance when striving to achieve oral health and serving elderly people with Alzheimer’s disease. Our Smile dental team takes special care for dealing with dementia patients. 

Dental Assessment focuses on five key areas during the planning of oral health management for elderly people: oral (oral cavity), systemic (health history), capability (for self-care), autonomy (consent to care) and reality (financial care),life expectancy, end-of-life care,