Measures to promote and support oral health in older adults

Abstract Body: Oral health in older adults is often poor due to various barriers and misconceptions. These barriers are related to: a) personal issues such as general disease, care dependency, low educational level, poor oral health knowledge, institutionalisation, financial constraints, unhealthy habits, and limited access to dental care, b) limited education and negative attitudes of health care providers and formal carers towards oral health promotion in older people, and c) lack of effective oral health policies. The European College of Gerodontology and the European Geriatric Medicine Society have identified three major areas for promoting oral health in older people: health policy action plans, educational action plans, and citizen empowerment and involvement. A number of health policy action plans should be implemented incorporating oral health assessment, treatment, promotion, and funding into general health care policies and funding. Moreover, appropriate legislation and protocols on oral health prevention and promotion in institutional settings should be developed. Formal carers in institutional settings should be trained to identify common oral conditions, provide daily oral hygiene to care dependent patients and call a dentist when necessary. Dentists should receive more training on care provision for frail older people to feel confident treating medically compromised patients, particularly at home and in institutional settings. Empathy-building interventions should be included within gerodontology education to fight ageism. Non-dental health care providers (ie. physicians, nurses, physical therapists) should receive training on initial oral health assessment and promotion as they usually spend more time with older patients compared to dentists. Last but not least, citizen empowerment processes could directly involve the general population in actions promoting oral health in older adults.