Expanding prosthodontic services to the older patient in dental practices.

Numerous articles report on the unmet dental needs of the older patient, yet few have suggested strategies to overcome barriers to care for this unique demographic. At a time when prosthodontic services, including dental implants, offer improved outcomes, the elderly remain the least served of all patient groups. Obstacles to treatment include ageism, medical and dental complexity, financial limitations, and patients' resistance to treatment. Expanding prosthodontic care of the elderly requires a departure from traditional patient management techniques. The attempt to reverse ageism in your practice must go beyond simple awareness. Those offĩces that can relate to, treat with respect, and fulfill the health aspirations of the older patient create the atmosphere where care is more readily accepted. A successful team approach to patient management depends upon the ability to listen and respond to the elderly denture patient with information on denture maintenance and implant enhancements. An essential piece is encouraging regular recall for all denture wearers by every staff member. A well documented problem area in dental practice is the timely replacement of worn out or inadequate dentures. By using a simple assessment tool called the Satisfaction/Condition Score along with motivational interviewing, we have found increased treatment acceptance among our existing patients. Use of these suggestions in a general dentistry practice is more likely to encourage the older patient to better accept enhanced prosthodontic services.