Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011:2011:647168.
doi: 10.1155/2011/647168. Epub 2011 Jul 6.

Elderly at greater risk for root caries: a look at the multifactorial risks with emphasis on genetics susceptibility

Daniel Gati  1 , Alexandre R Vieira
Affiliations

Elderly at greater risk for root caries: a look at the multifactorial risks with emphasis on genetics susceptibility

Daniel Gati et al. Int J Dent. 2011.

Abstract

Root caries is one of the most significant dental problems among older adults today. Many studies have demonstrated that older adults are at greater risk for developing root caries. Here we examine what risk factors older adults are prone to and explain how they contribute to higher rates of oral disease, in particular root caries. The elderly are at risk for root caries due to dentures, lack of dexterity, a shift from complex to simple sugars, and poor oral hygiene. Decreased salivary flow and its manifestations with other social/behavioral and medical factors may provide a more comprehensive explanation to a higher frequency of root caries in older adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Saunders RH, Jr., Meyerowitz C. Dental caries in older adults. Dental Clinics of North America. 2005;49(2):293–308. - PubMed
    1. Ingle NA, Chaly PE, Zohara CK. Oral health related quality of life in adult population attending the outpatient department of a hospital in Chennai, India. Journal of International Oral Health. 2010;2(4):45–55.
    1. Warren JJ, Cowen HJ, Watkins CM, Hand JS. Dental caries prevalence and dental care utilization among the very old. Journal of the American Dental Association. 2000;131(11):1571–1579. - PubMed
    1. Steele JG, Sheiham A, Marcenes W, Fay N, Walls AW. Clinical and behavioural risk indicators for root caries in older people. Gerodontology. 2001;18(2):95–101. - PubMed
    1. Shah N, Sundaram KR. Impact of socio-demographic variables, oral hygiene practices, oral habits and diet on dental caries experience of Indian elderly: a community-based study. Gerodontology. 2004;21(1):43–50. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources