Innovations in Geriatric Oral Health Care

Abstract

Older adults are retaining their teeth and need strategies for a lifetime of oral health care. Daily prevention and professional preventive care have the most significant impacts on reducing oral disease in the aging population. Providers of oral health care extend beyond traditional dental professionals to include caregivers and health care providers through teledentistry and interprofessional collaboration. Dental and aging organizations advocate for the inclusion of a dental benefit in Medicare to address access to care. Innovations in geriatric oral health care involve advances in clinical oral health care, delivery and models of care, funding, research, education, and policy.

Keywords: Aging; Geriatric dental medicine; Geriatrics; Innovations; Oral health care.