Kharat Avina, Baidya Omkar Prasad, Choudhari Sourav Hambirrao, Shakeela Nasim Vahid, Nasim Rasha, Hathi Kalpesh
Department of Pharmacology, Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College and Hospital, Indore, IND.
Department of Physiology, Jagannath Gupta Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital, Kolkata, IND.
Cureus. 2025 Jul 29;17(7):e88964. doi: 10.7759/cureus.88964. eCollection 2025 Jul.
The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases in the aging global population has led to widespread use of systemic medications, often resulting in polypharmacy among geriatric patients. While these drugs are essential for managing conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune disorders, their adverse effects on oral health remain underrecognized and insufficiently studied. This review synthesizes current literature alongside cross-sectional observational data to evaluate the multifaceted impact of commonly prescribed systemic medications on oral health outcomes in elderly populations. Key oral manifestations include xerostomia, gingival overgrowth, mucosal ulcerations, medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, bleeding complications, taste alterations, and increased susceptibility to infections. The interplay between age-related physiological changes, polypharmacy, and systemic disease complicates oral care and exacerbates morbidity. Despite the clinical significance, oral side effects are rarely emphasized in pharmacological guidelines, and geriatric-specific data remain limited. The review highlights the need for interdisciplinary collaboration between medical and dental professionals, comprehensive geriatric oral health screening protocols, and increased clinician awareness to improve management and preventive strategies. This integrated approach is essential to enhance the quality of life and oral health outcomes in elderly patients receiving long-term systemic pharmacotherapy.
全球老龄化人口中慢性病患病率不断上升，导致全身性药物广泛使用，老年患者常出现多重用药情况。虽然这些药物对于治疗高血压、糖尿病、心血管疾病和自身免疫性疾病等病症至关重要，但其对口腔健康的不良影响仍未得到充分认识和研究。本综述综合了当前文献以及横断面观察数据，以评估常用全身性药物对老年人口腔健康结局的多方面影响。主要的口腔表现包括口干、牙龈增生、黏膜溃疡、药物相关性颌骨坏死、出血并发症、味觉改变以及感染易感性增加。与年龄相关的生理变化、多重用药和全身性疾病之间的相互作用使口腔护理变得复杂，并加剧了发病率。尽管具有临床意义，但口腔副作用在药理学指南中很少被强调，针对老年人的具体数据仍然有限。该综述强调了医学和牙科专业人员之间跨学科合作、全面的老年口腔健康筛查方案以及提高临床医生意识以改善管理和预防策略的必要性。这种综合方法对于提高接受长期全身性药物治疗的老年患者的生活质量和口腔健康结局至关重要。
