The Impact of Nutrition and Oral Health on Seniors


Elderly people's general and oral health depends significantly on receiving a proper and appropriate diet. Therefore, diet is crucial in terms of preventing oral and systemic disease.



(Hospital and Healthcare, 2018)


The link between nutrition and dental health is continuous (The Gerontological Society of America, 2020). Nutritional condition deteriorates without a healthy tongue to chew food and start the digestive process (The Gerontological Society of America, 2020). Moreover, without sufficient nutrition, dental health frequently deteriorates, muscles deteriorate, gum tissues become contaminated, the bone that supports the teeth resorbs, teeth rot, and they may finally fall out, and this cycle continues (The Gerontological Society of America, 2020).


A balanced diet also contributes to maintaining good oral health. The reciprocal association between good dental health and a balanced diet is essential for healthy ageing (The Gerontological Society of America, 2020). In a perfect world, older adults keep their independence and can carry out most or all of the activities of daily living, such as preparing food, chewing and swallowing, and taking care of their dental health (The Gerontological Society of America, 2020). Keeping healthy teeth, gingivae, tissues around the mouth, and tongue is vital to provide the best possible ability to chew and swallow nutritious foods (The Gerontological Society of America, 2020). It also entails eating a nutrient-dense diet that includes the foods that the older adult appreciates, such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain cereals, high-quality proteins (eggs, fish, meat, poultry, and dairy), as well as enough fluids (The Gerontological Society of America, 2020).


Dental crown or root caries (cavities), tooth abscesses, sore and bleeding gingivae, cracked teeth, tooth pain and loss (including edentulism, or the absence of all-natural teeth), xerostomia (dry mouth), challenges and pain with chewing and swallowing, mouth infections, stomatitis (inflammation of oral soft tissue), gingivitis (inflammation of gums), periodontal disease, and discomfort with full or partial removable or fixed den Malnutrition can occur, which can then have an impact on the patient's oral and general health one (The Gerontological Society of America, 2020).




(101 st Adult Dentistry, 2017)


Poor dental health and a lack of healthy food options harm people of all ages. Therefore, early corrective measures can help prevent more severe issues in the future.



Reference:


101 st Adult Dentistry. (2017). How Does Gum Disease Affect Your Overall Health? https://www.101stadultdentistry.com/gum-disease-effect-health/ 


Hospital and Healthcare. (2018). Top 10 myths regarding nutrition for seniors. https://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/aged-allied-health/article/top-10-myths-regarding-nutrition-for-seniors-467328162 


The Gerontological Society of America. (2020). Older Adults: Unique Challenges at the Interface     Between Nutrition and Oral Health. https://saskohc.ca/images/documents/PDF/Resources//O//Older-Adults-Unique-Challenges-at-the-Interface-Between-Nutrition-and-Oral-Health.pdf 



Comments

  1. Morgan MacEachernAugust 2, 2022 at 8:42 AM

    Hi!
    This is a very interesting blog post that explores many different nutritional considerations for seniors and the elderly. I think that another significant factor that can impact the health of oral health and nutritional status of this population is medication use, causing dry mouth. According to Sroda et al. (2018), this population is more likely to take more than one medication at once, which increases their risk of getting xerostomia. Xerostomia can make eating much more difficult because foods are more likely to stick to teeth and oral mucosa. Furthermore, these individuals will also report that swallowing their food is uncomfortable because they feel it gets stuck. This further complicates their oral health status because these individuals will start eliminating crunchy foods from their diet, further decreasing saliva production (Sroda et al., 2018, p. 347). In addition to causing dry mouth, multiple medications can profoundly affect how an individual absorbs certain nutrients, which can further impact their oral health and overall health status (Sroda et al., 2018, p. 347).

    References
    Sroda, R., & Reinhard, T. (2018). Nutrition for Dental Health: A Guide for the Dental Professional, Enhanced edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hoang NguyenAugust 3, 2022 at 11:21 AM

    Hi Morgan,

    Thank you for sharing this valuable information with us. I really appreciate that you mentioned medication use is another important issue causes dry mouth, specifically in this population. In particular, eating can become very challenging for those with xerostomia since food tends to stick to teeth and oral mucosa more frequently.

    Very interesting information!

    ReplyDelete

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