Faculty Articles

Title

Professional dental care for patients with dementia

ISBN or ISSN

0109-565X

Publication Title

Gerodontics

Volume

6

Issue

2

Publication Date / Copyright Date

4-1-1987

First Page

67

Last Page

71

DOI Number

10.1111/j.1741-2358.1987.tb00391.x

Abstract

Individuals with dementia present a significant challenge to the dental professional. The dental professional must meet the special needs of the patient with dementia with patience and a variety of non-traditional skills, including treatment planning with caregivers and nonverbal communication to reassure disoriented patients. The goals of dental care for the patient with dementia are to restore and maintain oral health and prevent progression of oral disease. Because of the degenerative nature of dementia, the first dental visit for a patient with dementia may represent the patient's best cognitive functioning level. For this reason, the dental treatment plan should aim to restore oral function quickly and to institute an intensive preventive program. Practical guidelines for preventive diagnostic, and restorative care are provided. To illustrate these points, two cases are presented.

Disciplines

Dentistry

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