Oral Health for Older People

Topics include:

• Oral landmarks, anatomy and function
• Oral disease in older adults
• Maintaining best practice oral care for older adults

Target audience

Health professionals who care for older people in any setting.

Purpose

Ensure health professionals maintain best practice oral care for older adults in all care settings and can identify traditional practice(s) that compromise oral health.

Need

Good oral health in older people contributes to a sense of wellbeing; it facilitates better fluid and nutritional intake, assists with communication and has been shown to enhance quality of life. Despite this, the oral health of older people is an often-neglected part of nursing care. Oral care is sometimes considered less important than other nursing priorities and the quality of oral care being delivered usually depends on the health professional's knowledge of oral hygiene and willingness to attend to this fundamental basic care need.

Health professionals are encouraged to integrate best practice oral care into their routine practice, however in order to do so, they may need to refresh their knowledge of oral hygiene and why it is fundamental to maintaining health and wellbeing.