Oral health is linked to general health, and oral conditions involving teeth, gums and dentures can significantly affect overall well-being and the ability to age positively.
For Example
Oral pain and difficulty with eating can affect nutritional intake and body weight and therefore skin integrity, strength and mobility, and continence.
Oral pain may also affect mood and behaviour, especially for people with dementia who find it difficult to self report their pain and discomfort.
Poor oral health is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and aspiration pneumonia. Aspiration pneumonia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality for hospitalised and institutionalised frail older people.
Chronic oral infection can complicate the medical management of general illnesses such as diabetes, chronic heart failure and respiratory diseases.
Poor oral health results in bad breath and affects people’s ability to speak, socialise and feel happy with their appearance.
Medications taken by older people often cause dry mouth (xerostomia) which affects speaking, eating and also increases the levels of oral bacteria and infection.
Oral health care may be overlooked by community-living patients with decreasing levels of cognition, health and mobility. Cost and transport is also a factor affecting older people and their decisions around accessing dental treatment services.
Dentures
Older people who wear dentures are at risk of developing fungal infections.
Fungal infections can be attributed to wearing dentures at night, poor cleanliness of dentures, denture plaque, permeability of acrylic denture resin, diet and pre-existing general health factors such as diabetes.
POOR ORAL HEALTH WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON OTHER DOMAINS OF FUNCTIONING
Continence
Poor oral health affects food selection in particular the ability to chew foods with high fibre content. This can affect continence management.
Delirium
Chronic infection from poor oral health can compromise the immune system and contribute to a systemic inflammatory response. This in conjunction with oral pain can exacerbate a change in behavior especially for older people with dementia.
Dementia
Older people with dementia are particularly at risk of developing complex oral disease and conditions. Dementia compromises their ability to reliably report their experience of oral health problems and dental pain. In addition, older people with dementia can sometimes behave in ways that make it difficult to provide oral health care.
Depression
Poor oral health may cause pain and discomfort, bad breath, impact on people’s ability to speak, sleep well, socialize and feel happy with their appearance.
Medication
Polypharmacy can impact on oral health by causing dry mouth (xerostomia). Drug classes which especially contribute to dry mouth are those with anticholinergic effects such as ACE inhibitors and diuretics. For further information contact the Therapeutic Advice and Information Service(opens in a new window).
Mobility
As a consequence of poor oral health, nutritional status may suffer and have an impact on maintaining weight, muscle mass and strength.
Nutrition
Tooth loss, poorly fitting dentures and oral infections affect appetite, food enjoyment and ability to chew which impacts on food intake and food selection.
Skin Integrity
As a consequence of poor oral health, nutritional status may suffer and have an impact on skin integrity and wound healing.