There are 35 million people over the age of 65 in the United States. This number is expected to double to 70 million by 2030. Those over age 85 are the fastest-growing segment of the United States(2). Of seniors age 65 and over 17.20% have periodontal disease and 10.58% of seniors 65 and over have moderate or severe periodontal disease(1). With this larger growing population it is imperative to address dental disease sooner rather than later to provide these patients with a higher quality of life.
As we know, heart, lung, and other diseases have been linked to periodontal disease. Prevention or at least quelling the growth of bacteria is essential to prolonging the general health of elderly patients. If left untreated, periodontitis results in soft tissue with progressive bone destruction and tooth loss (3).
Bleeding is a primary indicator of tooth and gum health. According to R. Bruce Cochrane, DDS, the most successful adjunctive therapy for clinical attachment level and pocket depth is periodontal trays (4). He says “this option is ideal for patients for whom surgery or scaling did not adequately address their disease…” he goes on to present his findings of 66 patients who used trays with 1.7% peroxide gel to be used twice daily. Almost all of these patients had bleeding in excess of 50% or more in their sites. After data was collected conclusive benefits from tray usage showed significant reduction in bleeding (75%) and only one tooth out of 1745 teeth was lost (4).
Compliance is a key factor in getting great results. Many elderly patients have mobility problems with flossing and brushing due to arthritis and other ailments which affect dexterity. Not only are trays easy but they are always available to the patient. With PerioRenew and trays we could see a great improvement not only in diseases linked to inflammation but a significant reduction in periodontal diseases. What better way to help our elderly than the ease of tray application with PerioRenew to give them a better quality of life in the Golden Years (5).
Dr. Rodney Ogrin, Founder and Owner
Life-Like Cosmetic Solutions
About Life-Like: Life-Like Cosmetic Solutions, the original tooth whitening system, provides dental supplies for teeth whitening. Cosmetic dental practices use Life-Like’s professional whitening kits and at-home teeth bleaching kits to provide whiter teeth for patients. Call 800-543-3545 or visit the website at https://Life-Like.com to participate in the company’s “Marketing for Dentists” program at no cost. “Like” the Facebook page to receive regular tips on its teeth whitener products.
SOURCES:
- NIH National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research updated 3/7/2014
data source The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/DataStatistics/FindDataByTopic/GumDisease/PeriodontaldiseaseSeniors65over.htm
- Aging Successfully: oral Health for the Prime of Life.
Niessen LC, Fedele DJ. Compend Contin Educ Dent. 2002 Oct; 23 (10 suppl): 4-11
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12790011
- Kinney JS, Ramseier CA, Giamobile WV. Oral fluid-based biomarkers of alveolar bone loss in periodontitis
Ann NY Acad Sci 2007; 1098:230-251. [PubMed: 17435132]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2570328/
- A Guideline for Clinical Practice: The Search for a Successful Adjunctive Periodontal Therapy.
2015, Dec 14: R. Bruce Cochrane, DDS. perioimplantadvisory.com
http://www.perioimplantadvisory.com/articles/2015/12/a-guideline-for-clinical-practice-the-search-for-a-successful-adjunctive-periodontal-therapy.html
- Periodontal care for Community-dwelling older Adults. J Prosthet Dent. 1994 Nov; 72 (5); 500-6
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7844752
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