Dentists in need of care often have tooth decay

Dentists want to take more care of the needy

09/07/2014

For seniors who are in need of care, dental health is often much worse than for the rest of the population. The dentists in Germany now want to take more care of the ever-increasing number of people requiring care with dental disease.

Patients often can not take care of their teeth themselves
The dentists in Germany want to take more care of the increasingly numerous people in need of dental care. According to the Federal Dental Association (KZBV), these people suffer from diseases such as tooth decay and periodontitis, as they have more natural teeth than before. However, those affected often can not even take care of their teeth or go to the dentist. The KZBV now wants to clear the way for more dentists in nursing homes.

Dental health of seniors often significantly worse
Wolfgang Eßer, CEO of KZBV, told the news agency dpa in Berlin: „The dental health of elderly people with a need for care and those with disabilities is often significantly worse than that of the rest of the population.“ According to KZBV, for example, diseases on the periodontium are "the most prevalent among the elderly - and in recent times they have become increasingly significant". The same applies to root caries as studies have shown. In addition, "people with disabilities are exposed to higher risks".

As you age, thirst and salivation decreases
Other experts have already drawn attention to another problem regarding senior's dental problems in the past. In addition to the daily dental cleaning and care, it is particularly important to drink regularly and adequately. But especially older people feel thirsty with increasing age and are therefore threatened by an internal dehydration. A sufficient hydration is important to complaints like „dry mouth“ to fix. In addition to the thirst, the salivation in old age decreases. This combination has a detrimental effect on oral hygiene, as saliva is responsible for the natural cleansing of teeth and the neutralization of harmful acids. In addition, saliva also repairs defective enamel.

Improved opportunities in the past two years
As Eßer said, those affected could be helped by better care and prevention. For example, a concept by the dental profession provides for a claim to prevention and tooth cleaning. The possibilities for dentists to make home visits to people who can not come to the practice have already been improved over the past two years. Eßer further explained that home residents could help more cooperation between dentists and nurses. According to the KZBV, however, the necessary contracts between homes and doctors are often missing. The regional Dentists associations would therefore have the task to convey them, so that the nursing homes in Germany would get their own nationwide cooperation dentists. (Ad)