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Oral health and dental care of older persons—A systematic map of systematic reviews
Author(s) -
Ástvaldsdóttir Álfheiður,
Boström AnneMarie,
Davidson Thomas,
Gabre Pia,
Gahnberg Lars,
Sandborgh Englund Gunilla,
Skott Pia,
Ståhlnacke Katri,
Tranæus Sofia,
Wilhelmsson Hanna,
Wårdh Inger,
Östlund Pernilla,
Nilsson Mikael
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
gerodontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1741-2358
pISSN - 0734-0664
DOI - 10.1111/ger.12368
Subject(s) - medicine , cinahl , systematic review , oral hygiene , geriatric dentistry , orofacial pain , medline , malnutrition , cochrane library , family medicine , health care , oral health , alternative medicine , gerontology , dentistry , nursing , physical therapy , psychological intervention , pathology , economic growth , political science , law , economics
Objectives To examine the current knowledge on oral health status and dental care of older persons through a systematic mapping of systematic reviews of low or moderate risk of bias. Background Geriatric dentistry covers all aspects of oral health and oral care of older persons. Oral health is part of general health and contributes to a person's physical, psychological and social wellbeing. Methods A literature search was performed in three different databases (PubMed, The Cochrane Library and Cinahl) within 12 domains: Dental caries, periodontitis, Orofacial pain and temporomandibular joint ( TMJ ) pain, mucosal lesions, oral motor function, dry mouth, halitosis, interaction between oral status and other medical conditions, ability to interrelate and communicate, quality of life, ethics and organisation of dental care for older persons. Systematic reviews were identified and scrutinised, highlighting scientific knowledge and knowledge gaps. Results We included 32 systematic reviews of which 14 were judged to be of low/moderate risk of bias. Most of the domains lack systematic reviews with low or moderate risk of bias. In two of the domains evidence was identified; in institutionalised people aged 65 or older, effective oral hygiene can prevent pneumonia. Furthermore, there is an evidence of a relationship between malnutrition (protein energy‐related malnutrition, PEM ) and poor appetite and edentulousness. Conclusions There is an urgent need for further research and evidence‐based knowledge within most domains in geriatric dentistry and in other fields related to oral health and dental care for older persons striving for multi‐disciplinary research programmes.