Abuse and neglect of elderly individuals: guidelines for oral health professionals.

The number of elderly individuals in our society is growing rapidly. This demographic change presents a number of challenges to our society and our health care systems. One of these is elder abuse and neglect, a serious and growing problem. In California, there are a number of state agencies responsible for oversight of care provided to elderly individuals and several systems for reporting suspected abuse and neglect depending on where the suspected abuse or neglect is occurring. Dental professionals are mandated reporters and therefore must understand how to recognize and--where possible prevent--abuse and neglect in their older patients and know how to report these suspicions.