Older Adults: Unique Challenges at the Interface Between Nutrition and Oral Health
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A Newsletter of
IN THIS ISSUE:
Interrelationships Between Nutrition and Oral Health in Older Adults Older Adults: Unique Challenges at the Interface Between Nutrition and Oral Health......... 1 Nutritional and Oral Health Outcomes...................... 2 Interprofessional Care of Special Populations of Older Adults......................... 6 Supporting Patient-Centric Oral Health and Nutrition Policies................................... 10 Conclusion.............................. 12 Resources............................... 13 References............................. 13
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ew people think about the interconnection between oral health and nutritional status. Even a highly educated, interprofessional health care team sometimes—perhaps often— overlooks the need for patients to have both a nutritious diet and a healthy mouth to help ensure optimal nutrition.
The relationship between oral health and nutrition is a circular one. Without a healthy mouth to chew food and begin the digestive process, nutritional status suffers. Without adequate nutrients, oral health often declines, muscles weaken, gum tissues become infected, bone supporting the teeth resorbs, and teeth decay and they can be lost eventually. And the process repeats. Both oral health and nutrition are also integrally related to the broader social determinants of health. Challenges related to the three A’s—accessible, affordable, and available—have been exacerbated during the coronavirus NOTE TO READERS OF PRINT COPIES OF THIS WHAT’S HOT NEWSLETTER Links to websites and resources pertinent to nutrition and oral health appear in this print copy as green text. These links can be accessed in the online version of the newsletter, located on the GSA website at www.geron.org/whatshot.
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disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic by economic turmoil and the need to physically distance from other people. Life in a food desert can make finding nutritious food difficult, and now older adults in particular need to minimize time spent shopping or taking public transportation. Dental providers—and many other types of health professionals who can help address oral problems— can be located far from older people’s homes. Preventive oral health care such as scheduled cleanings have been deferred or skipped and elective procedures postponed. Dental insurance is often a benefit of employment, and retirees and those laid off during the pandemic often do not have sufficient funds to address oral health preventive care, gum and tooth infections (dental caries), and associated pain. Loss to follow-up compromises both oral health and nutrition. People of all ages are affected by poor oral health and lack of healthy dietary choices. Corrective actions earlier in life can avoid major problems later. While dental and oral health problems are largely preventable, the older adult may face acute oral health and dietary deficiencies with serious or even
Faculty Rose Ann DiMariaGhalili, PhD, RN, CNSC, FASPEN, FAAN, FGSA Professor of Nursing Associate Dean, Interprofessional Research and Development Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions
Kathryn N. Porter Starr, PhD, RD
Judith Haber, PhD, APRN, FAAN
Carole Ann Palmer, EdD, RD
Assistant Professor in Medicine Duke University School of Medicine Research Health Scientist Durham VA Medical Center
Ursula Springer Leadership Professor in Nursing Executive Director, Oral Health Nursing Education and Practice Program New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing
Professor Emerita and Retired Head, Nutrition and Oral Health Promotion Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Professor Emerita and Retired Director of the Masters degree component of the combined Master of Science/ Dietetic Internship Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Tufts Medical Center
Michèle J. Saunders, DMD, MS, MPH Adjunct Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Periodontics University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
© 2020 by The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.