With one quarter of people aged over 65 living with complete tooth loss and more than 65 per cent of them reporting difficulty eating, the Australian Dental Association NSW says oral care needs to become a priority | rachelclun
With one quarter of people aged over 65 living with complete tooth loss and more than 65 per cent of them reporting difficulty eating, the Australian Dental Association NSW says oral care needs to become a priority.
ADA NSW president Dr Kathleen Matthews said the report found insufficient attention to dental health leads to dental pain and malnutrition within residential aged care facilities.While the number of people retaining their teeth is improving, tooth decay and gum disease are on the rise and they remain the most common chronic diseases.
However, Dr Matthews said studies have shown if oral hygiene is improved and workers in aged care facilities are supported by health experts, the rates of aspiration pneumonia drop. Associate Professor Wallace is behind the residential aged care preventative oral health program Senior Smiles, which put dental hygienists into aged care facilities in Newcastle, the Central Coast and Sydney. She said the success of the program has resulted in 10 facilities continuing the program by paying for the hygienist themselves.
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