The fight against malnutrition in older adults: new aproaches in dentistry

Gériatrie et psychologie neuropsychiatrie du vieillissement
Isabelle Prêcheur, Marlène Chevalier

Abstract

A minimal oral treatment aiming a clean and comfortable mouth could be very helpful in malnutrition control of dependent elderly persons. In such a case, it is necessary and generally it is enough to perform dental scaling and/or extractions with anxiolytic premedication (oral or rectal diazepam). Most of times, such minimal dental care can be performed at bedside, avoiding patient's stress and displacement to a dental surgery. The nursing staff can reassure the residents and their families on the absence of dentures, because saliva would be even more important than teeth. Actually, there is a tight relation between oral health, saliva, drugs, food texture and nutritional state of person. The notion of saliva includes two important criteria: 1) saliva-bacteria in the saliva, 2) fluid saliva-oral biofilm covering mucous membranes. All factors which change saliva secretion or inhibit oral bacteria community may lead to malnutrition. Several studies performed in hospital geriatric wards and in retirement homes allowed us to identify the following iatrogenic causes for malnutrition: 1) inappropriate preservation of teeth or dentures which may lead to oral reservoir (Candida albicans yeast-hyphal transition, antibiotic resistance ge...Continue Reading

Citations

Sep 16, 2015·Journal of Oral Science·Alessandro TamburriniTommaso C Mineo

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