Elder mistreatment: dental assessment and intervention.

Elder mistreatment has increasingly been recognized as a serious and complex health issue affecting large numbers of elders each year. Dependent elder populations are often at heightened risk for mistreatment by those individuals and institutions that care for them. Health professionals have been found to lack knowledge regarding assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and reporting criteria of elder mistreatment. This article reviews the types and prevalence of elder mistreatment, risk factors, signs and symptoms, preventive interventions, and ethical considerations.