Senior

Senior 60-120:

In Italy the lengthening of the average life expectancy for the inhabitants has increased the number of the oldest part of the population with an average age of 80.5 years for men and 84.8 years for women (Source:ISTAT), positioning Italy as the fifth country in the world for life expectancy. This increase in the older population is associated with a high number of chronic diseases and degenerative pathologies with significant reductions in individual autonomy and on the quality of life of individuals.
The disorders of the oral cavity represented by inflammatory pathologies of the gum tissues and the wear or deterioration of the dental elements represent for these patients a very annoying disorder that, however, requires careful evaluation and treatment. Moreover, the reduced autonomy that some elderly patients have requires careful assessment and dental attention: for this reason elderly patients need frequent dental assessments for the prevention and treatment of oral diseases. In geriatric age are common loss of some teeth for caries or periodontitis, lesions of the tongue or mucous membranes of a neoplastic or infectious nature and bleeding. These pathologies are very disabling in the elderly and require adequate attention and dental assessment.
Some conditions of the elderly, but not unique, that predispose to odontostomatological diseases are Alzheimer’s dementia and other forms of dementia,
Parkinson’s disease and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, severe comorbidity with functional limitation, neoplastic pathologies and cerebral stroke outcomes with severe disability and dysphagia. Moreover, the chronic use of some drugs has strong repercussions on the oral cavity: Anxiolytics Benzodiazepines
Anticonvulsants Carbamazepine, Antidepressants Fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, imipramine, Antiparkinson L-dopa, Antihypertensive Captopril, chloridine, reserpine
Some conditions of the elderly, but not unique, that predispose to odontostomatological diseases are Alzheimer’s dementia and other forms of dementia,
Parkinson’s disease and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, severe comorbidity with functional limitation, neoplastic pathologies and cerebral stroke outcomes with severe disability and dysphagia. Moreover, the chronic use of some drugs has strong repercussions on the oral cavity: Anxiolytics Benzodiazepines
Anticonvulsants Carbamazepine, Antidepressants Fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, imipramine, Antiparkinson L-dopa, Antihypertensive Captopril, chloridine, reserpine
Antipsychotics (typical and atypical), Antispasmodics.
In the individual, and in the elderly patient, the concept of health is understood according to the classic definition of the WHO of 1946, «a state of complete physical, psychological and social well-being and not only the absence of disease or infirmity»while the quality of life implies a multidimensional concept of life itself related to the «perception that individuals have of their position in life, in the cultural context and in the system in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations and interests» (WHO 1993). This concept is realized in particular in the elderly, where the state of health and functionality of the oral cavity has a decisive impact both on the normal activities of daily life, and on relational and social skills. A very frequent condition in the elderly such as the loss of teeth (edentulia) is in fact responsible not only for reducing the chewing function, with changes in eating habits, dysphagia and digestive difficulties, but also change in relationships for discomfort to talk and smile up to isolation and depression.

The incidence of dental diseases in older patients, despite the undoubted improvements in overall health, remains high. It’s important to make sure you have an ordinary
The incidence of dental diseases in older patients, despite the undoubted improvements in overall health, remains high. It is important to make sure that there is ordinary prevention in these patients who are more at risk than others and carefully evaluate the opportunities for rehabilitation of missing teeth, favoring fixed tooth solutions: Fixed prosthetic teeth allow easy chewing, are well accepted by most patients and in patients with dementia are not lost as sometimes happens with mobile teeth.

For this reason, all patients with missing teeth that we visit receive a prosthetic assessment on the possibility of rehabilitating the missing teeth, even with fixed teeth solutions in the day, which quickly allow the patient to return to chewing and smiling.