Clinical considerations in geriatric dentistry: integrated treatment plan

Abstract

Demographic changes reveal an increase in the elderly population whose oral and overall health are directly correlated. This dynamic interaction as well the physiologic alterations associated to the aging process, requires dentists to expand their expertise to acquire a global view of the elderly subject which became possible the proposition and implementation of an efficient integrated treatment planning that achieve the wishes and real necessities of the odontogeriatric patient. The complexity of the elderly subject due to the higher susceptibility to systematic a local pathologies, usage of polypharmacy and inherent debility, among others factors showed the importance of the systematic and detail approach concerning the treatment planning, a clinical step usually despised. The aim of this study is to discuss, through a literature review, the specificities of the treatment planning of the elderly patients considering its biopsicosocial characteristics in a clear and objective way.