Analysis of 348 participants found “coronal caries, root caries, tooth root remnants or ulcers were present in 50.3%” and of those well enough to express themselves, 25.7% reported Orofacial pain. This means that elderly are left to rot ( at least their mouth’s) in nursing homes.
J Oral Rehabil. 2019 Jan;46(1):23-32. doi: 10.1111/joor.12724
Orofacial pain and its potential oral causes in older people with mild cognitive
impairment or dementia.
Delwel S et al.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30281826
- Netherlands study
- 348 cases; 179 well enough to comment on their pains
- 1/2 had coronal caries, root caries, tooth root remnants or ulcers
- 1/4 had orofacial pain that was not being attended to.
Comment – This speaks to the issue that chronic pain in dementia is high and ignored. These poor victims were left to rot in their mouths.
addendum – 2022 meta analysis study confirms association:
Asher, Sam, et al.
Periodontal health, cognitive decline, and dementia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of longitudinal studies.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2022) Sept 8
https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/jgs.17978
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