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Oral health and the patient with dementia
Author(s) -
Niessen Linda C.,
Jones Judith A.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
special care in dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.328
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1754-4505
pISSN - 0275-1879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1754-4505.1987.tb01572.x
Subject(s) - medicine , dementia , disease , nonverbal communication , oral health , health care , population , gerontology , cognitive decline , psychiatry , family medicine , communication , psychology , environmental health , pathology , economics , economic growth
SUMMARY Approximately 1.5 million people in the US have Alzheimer's disease. As the older population increases, the number of persons with Alzheimer's disease will also increase. The goal of the dental care provider, for these persons, is to maintain oral health despite a setting of physical and cognitive decline. Providing dental care to patients with a dementing illness will require modification of patient management techniques, particularly a greater use of nonverbal communication and an alteration in verbal communication patterns. Appropriate treatment planning and aggressive prevention are critical to the maintenance of their oral health.