The oral health of older adults with dementia is significantly
worse than for their non-dementia counterparts, according to a
report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare (AIHW).
The Oral Health of Older Adults with Dementia surveys
the oral health status of a randomly selected sample of older
Australians with and without dementia in Adelaide over a one-year
period.
Co-author Professor John Spencer, from AIHW's Dental Statistics
and Research Unit, says that the study shows dementia sufferers
were worse off for tooth decay, use of dentures, denture-related
oral mucosal lesions, and plaque accumulation.
'At the beginning of the study, tooth decay was present in just
under half of the dementia sufferers compared to 15.5% for the
non-dementia group.
'This went up to 60% in the dementia group and 28.5% in the
non-dementia group a year later, which shows just how quickly decay
can establish itself in older patients', Professor Spencer
said.
Professor Spencer also drew attention to the high levels of
accumulation of dental plaque among dementia sufferers.
'These high plaque levels in dependent and frail individuals are
of great concern, because accumulation of plaque over time on
natural teeth and dentures places them at greater risk of
developing aspiration pneumonia, which can sometimes be fatal.'
Significantly fewer dementia participants saw a dentist in the
12 months before the start of the survey, and during the one-year
survey period itself. Although dementia sufferers exhibited high
levels of tooth decay, in many cases carers were unaware of the
severity of the problem.
'Even though many more dementia participants needed help with
their oral hygiene care', said Professor Spencer, 'many exhibited
resistive or combative behaviour during the care-giving process,
with one-third refusing to open their mouths. Carers need training
and support to improve the oral hygiene care for older adults with
dementia.'
Also of considerable concern with the dementia group was
decreasing use of fluoride from sources such as toothpastes.
7 April 2005
Further information: Professor John Spencer,
DSRU, tel. 08 8303 5438, or mobile 0412 220 859; Jane Chalmers,
University of Iowa, email
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, tel. 02 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of The Oral Health of Older
Adults with Dementia, April 2005.