Wierink C D, de Baat C
Uit de praktijk van een tandarts-geriatrie in Amsterdam , Universitair Medisch Centrum St Radboud, Nijmegen.
Ned Tijdschr Tandheelkd. 2009 Feb;116(2):82-6.
The first part of this article is a translation of an editorial which appeared in the journal Gerodontology. The author warns that a great increase is expected in the number of dementia patients in the United Kingdom and he argues that care for these patients be given a high place on the national agenda. Dementia was also a major issue at the meeting of the International Association for Dental Research in March 2007. Several international studies presented there indicated that elderly people with dementia constitute a group at risk with respect to oral health. In the evaluation of the editorial, the situation in The Netherlands is described. There is also serious concern in The Netherlands about the statistics with respect to dementia. Due to the growing number of frail elderly people having a natural dentition, the need for professional oral care will increase. General practitioners have the important task of providing adequate oral health care for elderly people suffering from dementia who are still living at home. Guidelines for Oral Care, having to do with the improvement of oral care in institutions, appeared recently. With the guidelines, a good basis for developing adequate oral health care of frail elderly people is available. However, the implementation of these guidelines will require some attention.
本文的第一部分是一篇发表在《老年牙科学》杂志上的社论的译文。作者警告说，预计英国痴呆症患者的数量将大幅增加，他认为对这些患者的护理应在国家议程上占据重要位置。痴呆症也是2007年3月国际牙科研究协会会议上的一个主要议题。会上展示的几项国际研究表明，患有痴呆症的老年人在口腔健康方面属于高危群体。在对这篇社论的评价中，描述了荷兰的情况。荷兰也对痴呆症的统计数据深感担忧。由于拥有天然牙列的体弱老年人数量不断增加，对专业口腔护理的需求也将增加。全科医生肩负着为仍居住在家中的痴呆症老年患者提供充分口腔保健的重要任务。最近出台了与改善机构内口腔护理相关的《口腔护理指南》。有了这些指南，就有了为体弱老年人制定充分口腔保健的良好基础。然而，这些指南的实施仍需要一些关注。
