Chan Alice Kit Ying, Tsang Yiu Cheung, Jiang Chloe Meng, Leung Katherine Chiu Man, Lo Edward Chin Man, Chu Chun Hung
Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Geriatrics (Basel). 2023 Jan 30;8(1):20. doi: 10.3390/geriatrics8010020.
The prevalence of oral diseases in the older adult population remains high worldwide and is expected to surge in the coming decade. The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed the oral health of older adults as one of its pivotal concerns. Oral health affects general health, and oral diseases increase mortality and morbidity in older adults. Integrating oral health into the general health service with a patient-centred approach can be an effective way to improve oral and systemic health for older adults simultaneously. This integration tackles the shared risk factors of both oral and noncommunicable diseases, aids in the early detection of systemic disease, strengthens health surveillance, enhances efficient data sharing, and allows for the better allocation of resources and the workforce in the healthcare system. However, the oral healthcare sector operates as an isolated field, with an emphasis on intervention rather than prevention, which presents a key challenge to the success of integration. Therefore, refocusing oral healthcare service on prevention is paramount. In addition, approaches taken in clinical practice implementation, interprofessional education and training, technology and innovation, research and evaluation, advocacy by national professional oral healthcare organizations, and policy making will ensure the efficient, effective, and long-term integration of oral and general health services. Integrating these services would foster the accessibility and affordability of oral healthcare services for older adults to improve their oral health and overall well-being in the coming decade. This review aims to discuss the merits and outline the challenges of integrating oral health into general health services for older adults and to propose the approaches that could be taken.
在全球范围内，老年人群体口腔疾病的患病率仍然很高，并且预计在未来十年还会激增。世界卫生组织（WHO）已将老年人的口腔健康列为其关键关注问题之一。口腔健康影响整体健康，口腔疾病会增加老年人的死亡率和发病率。以患者为中心的方法将口腔健康纳入综合医疗服务，是同时改善老年人口腔健康和全身健康的有效途径。这种整合解决了口腔疾病和非传染性疾病的共同风险因素，有助于早期发现全身性疾病，加强健康监测，促进高效的数据共享，并能在医疗系统中更好地分配资源和人力。然而，口腔医疗部门作为一个孤立的领域运作，侧重于干预而非预防，这对整合的成功构成了关键挑战。因此，将口腔医疗服务的重点重新放在预防上至关重要。此外，在临床实践实施、跨专业教育与培训、技术与创新、研究与评估、国家专业口腔医疗组织的宣传以及政策制定等方面采取的措施，将确保口腔健康与综合医疗服务的高效、有效和长期整合。整合这些服务将提高老年人获得口腔医疗服务的可及性和可负担性，从而在未来十年改善他们的口腔健康和整体福祉。本综述旨在讨论将口腔健康纳入老年人综合医疗服务的优点，概述其中的挑战，并提出可以采取的方法。
