Grundsätzliche Überlegungen bei der zahnärztlichen und kieferchirurgischen Behandlung geriatrischer Patienten

In an ageing society, our senior citizens are increasingly becoming the focus of attention, also in dentistry. It is essential to recognize the specific challenges of this very heterogeneous group of patients and to take appropriate measures to maintain and improve their oral health and quality of life, also of individuals reliant on care. The risk of oral disease increases with age, not only because of the natural ageing processes, but also due to the increasing prevalence of comorbidities or the increasing immobility of older patients. This requires interdisciplinary collaboration with geriatric specialists to fully understand the patient’s health picture and to maintain or restore chewing function and oral health. Unfortunately, despite the increasing prevalence of oral health problems, dental care for older people is often neglected and dental prophylaxis is less widely used. This article provides an insight into the special requirements and problems associated with dental care of older patients and presents appropriate measures, such as regular recording of an oral geriatric assessment, which can help to identify problems at an early stage and enable appropriate action to be taken. The measures explained are then presented in the context of a case.