One of the first observations made by specialists when addressing the issue of oral health among the elderly, is that it is directly related to the care he has lavished on the teeth throughout life. The absence of prevention and oral health education in childhood and adolescence pass a bill painful adulthood and especially in old age. It is, therefore, largely a cultural problem, and very to take into account thanks to the remarkable increase in the population over 65 years.
According to a survey by the General Council of Colleges of Dentistry and Stomatology of Spain, 68% of Spanish only goes to the dentist when you have a problem, especially pain, 10% have never been to a dentist, and almost 18% have been more than three years without going to the dentist.
Not only age
While most dentists put particular emphasis on the deterioration and loss of teeth is not necessarily a consequence of advanced age, but mainly of oral diseases, there is no doubt that with age increases, naturally , tooth loss, darkening and wear of the teeth, leading to serious dysfunctions in the quality of life of elderly patients, since altered their ability to chew, speak and swallow, as well as mental health, it can concerned about the image projected.
This situation carries the additional risk of being taken with a fatalistic attitude of resignation, something inevitably inherent in the old and therefore comes to believe that no remedy. This information and advice from health professionals is essential and very useful.
Diseases
Other changes that particularly affect the oral health of the elderly dependent diseases such as periodontitis (localized swelling around the root of the tooth), caries (especially root, ie at the root of the tooth), tooth wear , disruption of the oral mucosa and salivary glands, dry mouth (which may be caused by the ingestion of drugs or disease and if untreated can damage the teeth) and, finally, problems with dentures. A lack of dental care in old age sometimes add, unfortunately, the economic problems that lead a meager pension, with which badly will be able to afford the “luxury” of going to the dentist or use a suitable prosthesis.
Also, according to a study in the Department of Stomatology, University of the Basque Country, 39% of elderly Spanish study shows changes in the oral mucosa, a problem often associated with the use of dentures. This process involves directly the conservation status and length of prosthetic use and its completeness. The lesions are usually located in the palate, tongue and lips.