tailieunhanh - Oral Care for the Dependent Elderly

As society ages, maintaining oral hygiene so that food can be chewed well and enjoyed is very important in terms of quality of life (QOL). Recently, oral care for the elderly has become a topic of increasing interest, yet many dependent elderly have difficulty brushing their own teeth. Moreover, since it is not easy for family members or caregivers to clean another person's teeth, the teeth of dependent elderly who cannot brush themselves are often simply left unclean. Recently, we are coming to a better understanding of how foreign bodies and bacteria in the mouth are related to. | Oral Care for the Dependent Elderly Oral Care System Oral Care Support Instrument Oral Care Clinic National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology 36-3 Gengo Morioka-cho Obu Aichi Japan 474-8511 Phone 81-562-46-2311 Fax 81-562-44-8518 Introduction The need for oral care for the dependent elderly As society ages maintaining oral hygiene so that food can be chewed well and enjoyed is very important in terms of quality of life QOL . Recently oral care for the elderly has become a topic of increasing interest yet many dependent elderly have difficulty brushing their own teeth. Moreover since it is not easy for family members or caregivers to clean another person s teeth the teeth of dependent elderly who cannot brush themselves are often simply left unclean. Recently we are coming to a better understanding of how foreign bodies and bacteria in the mouth are related to aspiration pneumonia a disease that occurs when foreign bodies or bacteria enter the lungs via the mouth and endocarditis a disease of bacterial proliferation in the heart as well as the effects of mastication on senility and dementia. Of particular note is the solid scientific evidence that aspiration pneumonia the leading direct cause of death among the elderly can be prevented by thorough oral care. Preventing the development of these diseases through appropriate oral care and maintenance of oral and general health are goals of all of us involved in dental care. In November 1999 the Department of Dental Surgery at Chubu National Hospital National Institute of Longevity Science Now National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology established the first oral care outpatient clinic in the nation. We have instructed many people in methods of systematic oral care and the service has earned a good reputation. In addition to providing tooth-brushing instruction for the healthy elderly we have also developed an oral care procedure oral care system using an electric toothbrush for the dependent elderly who have .