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34 NEWS Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | 5/2017 save the date e date savssavav e dae da M a d i n a t J u m e i r a h H o t e l , D u b a i , U A E M a d U A E o t e l , | 04 05 MAY |2018 Conference & Exhibition: Fri/Sat, 04-05 May Dental Technician International Meeting (DTIM): 04 May Hands-on Courses: 02-06 May 31 th CAD/CAM & 31 th CAD 31 CAD 1 CAM & D/C AM & Digital Dentistry Digital Dentist gg Digit t st l Dentisttryrr try ryrr ryrr t l D International Conference / Exhibition Internatio Internatio l Confeff rerr nce / Exhibition n ererr nce / Exh onal C T: 971 4 347 6747, E: events@cappmea.com W: www.cappmea.com/cadcam Oral care of older patients: Prevention before intervention By DTI BRISBANE, Australia: In light of the ageing population, dentists need to be aware of the risks posed by re- tained dentition and exposed root surfaces in elderly patients, whose International Dental Exhibition Africa 3RD INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOW FOR THE DENTAL SECTOR IN AFRICA! 14TH-16TH DECEMBER 2017 UNECA CONGRESS CENTER ADDIS ABABA ETHIOPIA www.idea-africa.com oral health problems are multifac- torial. A recent article has recom- mended a maximum interception approach involving all members of the health care team and promoting evidence-based self-care, taking into account salivary, plaque and lifestyle risk factors. Dental professionals must be pre- pared for the sheer number of older patients, especially among the baby boomers (the generation born be- tween 1946 and 1964), retaining their natural teeth for longer, stated article author Prof. Laurence James Walsh, from the School of Dentistry at the University of Queensland in Australia. Particular problems in- clude root surface caries in patients with a strong history of coronal car- ies and those who suddenly develop salivary hypofunction. Furthermore, elderly patients suffer from more chronic diseases and are medically more complex. Treatment options need to be adjust- ed to each patient’s situation. This in- cludes considering how treatments can maximise the patient’s quality of life and make him or her comfort- able and pain-free, as well as treat- ment being within their economic reach, argued Walsh. Older patients sometimes cannot maintain suffi cient oral health, ow- ing to a decline of fi ne motor skills and reduced sight. Hence, Walsh ad- vised a multidisciplinary approach with doctors, nurses and carers working together to provide good oral health for patients living in long- term care facilities. A key message must promote oral health as part of overall health, he said. “A central tenet of modern preven- tive dentistry is to avoid intervening before prevention has been given a chance to work,” emphasised Walsh. The older population is at risk of fall- ing into the cycle of dental neglect or worsening oral disease. Carers might be reluctant to perform oral hygiene, since they may feel they lack the nec- essary knowledge and skills to do so safely, wrote Walsh. This adds to the perception that the mouth is an inti- mate personal space. Consequently, many carers believe that patients should be looking after their own teeth and dentures. In the case of pa- tients who develop dementia, these barriers to oral care can magnify. “Protocols for oral care must be tailored to the patient’s needs and be realistic given the limitations in time, fi nance and energy which can be expended,” said Walsh. Further- more, the lack of education is a need that should be addressed. The article, titled “Minimal interven- tion management of the older pa- tient”, was published online on 11 Au- gust in the British Dental Journal.