Dentistry and the elderly patients: A challenge for the future!

Abstract

The average age and life expectancy of the population is constantly increasing, and a great challenge for the healthcare systems around the globe will be to ensure a healthy aging for the future generations.

The dentist must also be prepared and trained to know how to enhance and maintain a “healthy” smile in the different age groups and promote all the actions necessary to im- prove the health of the oral cavity and dental solutions effective from a biological point of view but also financially sustainable.

So far, oral health has been largely neglected on the global health agenda. Yet, most dental disorders are mostly preventable and treatable.

A good prevention campaign will have to play an increasingly indispensable role, thus allowing huge economic sav- ings and improving the quality of life of the population.

A new approach to “senior” dentistry is being born and will need to be developed, with solutions designed specifically for the resolution of functional problems, but increasingly also aesthetic.

It should not be forgotten that among professionals, doctors and dentists, we notice the same effects of the aging of the general population, with an increasingly high average age. Professional updating, new technologies and different models in the interpretation of medicine are outlining the study of the future: an interconnection of numerous profes- sionals who will exchange information on the state of health and well-being of their patients.

The change is also taking place on management models that, in the near future, will have to integrate with modern technologies and new forms of communication and relationship with patients.

Ensuring effective treatment in a safe and controlled environment is equivalent to ensuring “longevity” also to our studies.