Geriatric Dentistry
Caring for Our Aging Population

Geriatric Dentistry: Caring for Our Aging Population provides general practitioners, dental students, and auxiliary members of the dental team with a comprehensive, practical guide to oral healthcare for the aging population. Beginning with fundamental chapters on the psychological, environmental, and social aspects of aging, the book approaches patient care from a holistic point of view. Subsequent chapters show the importance of this information in a practical context by discussing how it affects office environment, decision?-making and treatment planning, and the management and treatment of common geriatric oral conditions. Case studies and study questions are used to illustrate application of educational presentations to practice settings. Contributed by leaders in the field, Geriatric Dentistry will strengthen readers? understanding and clinical acumen in addressing this special population.

List of Contributors vi

Dedication viii

Introduction ix

About the Companion Website xi

Part 1: Underlying Principles of Aging

1 Aging: Implications for the Oral Cavity 3
Bei Wu

2 Palliative Care Dentistry 17
Michael Wiseman

Part 2: Clinical Practice

3 Living Arrangements for the Elderly: Independent Living Shared Housing Board and Care Facilities Assisted Living Continuous Care Communities and Nursing Homes 31
Timothy J. Halligan and Kelly A. Halligan

4 Palmore’s Facts on Aging Quiz: Healthcare Providers’ Perceptions of Facts and Myths of Aging 38
Ralph H. Saunders

5 The Senior-Friendly Office 43
Ruth S. Goldblatt and Janet A. Yellowitz

Part 3: Decision Making and Treatment Planning

6 Geriatric Patient Assessment 61
Mary R. Truhlar

7 Treatment Planning and Oral Rehabilitation for the Geriatric Dental Patient 70
Peter Y. Kawamura and Mary R. Truhlar

8 Informed Consent for the Geriatric Dental Patient 82
Jessica De Bord

9 Evidence-Based Decision Making in a Geriatric Practice 86
Mary R. Truhlar

Part 4: Common Geriatric Oral Conditions and their Clinical Implications

10 Root Caries 97
Dick Gregory and Susan Hyde

11 Periodontal Disease 107
Saroj Gupta

12 Endodontic Management of the Aging Patient 116
Harold E. Goodis and Bassam M. Kinaia

13 Oral Mucosal Lesions 137
Miriam R. Robbins

14 Xerostomia 152
Jadwiga Hjertstedt

15 Prosthetic Considerations for Frail and Functionally Dependent Older Adults 171
Ronald L. Ettinger

16 Medical Complexities 188
Elisa M. Chávez

Part 5: Care Delivery

17 Delivery Systems 211
Diane Ede-Nichols

18 Portable Dentistry 224
Harvey Levy

19 Promoting Oral Health Care in Long-Term Care Facilities 236
Mickey Emmons Wener Carol-Ann Yakiwchuk and Mary Bertone

20 Dental Professionals as Part of an Interdisciplinary Team 268
Teresa E. Johnson Jayne E. Cernohous Paul Mulhausen and Deborah A. Jacobi

Part 6: Future Vision

21 Planning for the Future 299
Teresa A. Dolan and Douglas Berkey

Answer Section 312

Index 313

General dentists, dentistry students, dental hygienists

Paula K. Friedman, DDS, CAGS, MSD, MPH, is a Professor and the Director of the Geriatrics and Gerontology Section in the Department of General Dentistry at the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine. She also directs the Geriatric Dentistry Fellowship Program. Dr. Friedman has served as President of the American Society of Geriatric Dentistry, the American Dental Education Association, and the Massachusetts Dental Society. Her research interests include quality of life, interprofessional education, and long-term care environments.