Oral health and dementia

Undiagnosed pain due to unmet oral care needs is often a significant cause of distress and agitation among aged care residents, particularly those living with dementia. However, as well as the difficulty of residents accessing dental care, many dental practitioners are not well equipped to provide dental care for people with dementia. Archana Pradhan and Ratilal Lalloo evaluated an Australian-first online learning program for dentists on providing oral health care for people with dementia.
Pradhan A, Lalloo R. ( 2021) Training of dental practitioners in dementia and aged care. Australian Journal of Dementia Care 10 (1), 38-41

Little is known about how community-dwelling people with dementia, as well as their carers, look after their oral health and use dental care. This exploratory study aimed to explore the beliefs, experiences and practices about oral health of people living with dementia and their carers.
Curtis, S. A., Scambler, S., Manthorpe, J., Samsi, K., Rooney, Y. M., & Gallagher, J. E. (2021). Everyday experiences of people living with dementia and their carers relating to oral health and dental care. Dementia, 20(6), 1925–1939.

People with dementia can be at greater risk of poor oral health. This includes people with conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease.

According to the American Dental Association, among a population of nearly 1.3 million nursing home residents struggling to receive dental care, patients with dementia are particularly at risk for untreated dental disease, and the severe health consequences that can result.
This blog post by the organisation Emergency Dentists USA is aimed at reducing these poor outcomes.

A range of resources (fact sheets, videos etc) to help caregivers and the dental team adapt their daily skills when providing routine oral health care for persons with Alzheimer’s or dementia.