Oral Health And Geriatrics Research Assignment Paper (Essay Sample)

ORAL HEALTH AND GERIATRICS
[Name]
[University]
Literature Review
Aging is a natural inevitable biological phenomenon. Advancement in age makes it difficult for the older adults to maintain their health as their body tissues get harder in the old age. Waste products frequently get collected in the body cells and the function of critical body organs is impaired due to the loss of lubrication. These impairments affect the quality of an individual’s life leading to the failure in a person’s ability to maintain oral health which results in the occurrence of certain oral diseases (Park, 2011). A planned oral and dental treatment for older adults along with an understanding of common chronic diseases is necessary for reducing the health problems and increasing the life expectancy.
The balanced nutrition plan is a critical factor contributing to the health of elderly. However, poor oral health, ill-fitting dentures and loose painful teeth would act as a detrimental factor to the health and nutritional status. As a result, a compromised nutritional status would create severe health conditions. According to the literature studies, an average calorie requirement in the age of 80 is 1900 kcal. Furthermore, the protein intake per day is 0.97 g/kg of body weight. Various studies have reported that nutritional status and chewing capability increases with the treatment of complete and partial dentures. Aging process compromises the function of salivary glands that results in mouth dryness due to reduced salivary flow and give rise to major oral health issues (Soini, Routasalo, Lauri, & Ainamo, 2003). Also, studies have also reported various changes in the oral mucous membrane which is responsible for the key protective functions and directly affects the well-being of a person.
Oral mucosa plays a key role of a barrier to different pathogens and thus decline in its function exposes the aging person to lethal microorganisms (Rattan & Kassem, 2006). Prosthetic appliances are widely used to evaluate the oral mucosal status in older adults, which have an adequate potential to change the mucosal integrity.
Research studies have widely reported that the dental tissues change with the aging process. In older adults the change in teeth structure results in a different light reflection pattern that affects the observed color of the teeth. Furthermore, the transparency is also lost with the change in quantity and quality of dentin. The enamel becomes more brittle and less permeable with the aging process due to ion-exchange mechanisms. Fluoride and magnesium also increase with the advancement in age. The relation of age and periodontal disease has been widely reported and is considered as the most prevalent chronic condition in the older adults. According to a reported study the periodontal index scores 4 is present among 70% of the elderly population. An important mean to reduce oral health issues are the meticulous oral hygiene supplemented by mouthwashes. Furthermore, artificial salivary substitutes also aid in reducing the complications (Slaughter, 2006).
Major challenges have consistently been reported in previous studies among which the development of an appreciation of the requirement for regular dental care is the main problem. The success in reducing the oral health iss...