Expert echoes Age Concern's oral health messages

Prof Murray Thomson (Courtesy of University of Otago)

Dental expert Professor Murray Thomson, speaking on Radio New Zealand's Nine to Noon, discussed the issues raised by increasing numbers of seniors entering later life with their own teeth.

Age Concern New Zealand says dental health is a vital part of healthy ageing and strongly supports Prof Thomson's conclusions.

Highlights

There is a significant trend to older people keeping their natural teeth.

Research, for example by Jane Chalmers, showed that rates of dental decay are particularly bad for people in rest homes: they have twice the average rate of decay… People with dementia have more still. The reasons for this include:

People lose touch with their dentists
There is very little systematic oral care of residents in rest homes

Asked, "should people have dentures?", Prof Thomson replied that for a small minority of people this may be the "humane" thing to do. But research shows that people with their own teeth are better nourished, feel better, look better and have a better quality of life. He stressed that people who cannot care for their own oral health because of , for example, a debilitating stroke, must have assistance with their oral care.

… Things need to happen at several levels:

At a Ministry of Health policy level: the certification audit regime should include oral care plans
The dental profession needs to be more visible in rest homes
The rest home sector needs to implement oral health care.

To Listen

Source 09:40 False teeth - are they better for older people's oral health?
- discussion on oral care on Radio NZ's Nine to Noon, 7/9/10, [ 9min 41"]

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