Review on polypharmacy and oral health among the elderly
Nélio Veiga, Marta Garcia, Valéria Pestana, Carlota
Rey-Joly, Cátia Rodrigues and Carina Coelho
Short communication I Published May, 2016
Journal of Medical and Biological Science Research Vol.
2 (5), pp. 65-67
ABSTRACT
The increase in the elderly population is a factor that
occurs worldwide. This fact can be explained by the
improvement of living conditions of the populations,
advances in medicine, improved sanitation and increase in
the community and individual health care. The use of several
drugs, self-medication, drug side effects, several drug
interactions and decreased quality of life of the population
has become an important public health issue. The gradual
aging of the population and the increasing prevalence of
chronic diseases has led to polypharmacy and the use of
drugs that potentially are considered inappropriate for
using among the elderly population. Oral diseases, such as
periodontal disease, dental caries, lesions in the oral
mucosa and xerostomia could be complications associated with
polypharmacy among the elderly.
It is crucial that the health professional, using his
contemporary knowledge, is able to protect the elderly
population from complications caused by polypharmacy.
The purpose of this article was to highlight the importance
of knowledge and recognition of the risks that polypharmacy
may represent during dental treatment based on the
international scientific literature.
Key words: Polypharmacy, Oral health, Quality of
life, Xerostomia, Dental caries, Oral diseases.
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