In 2023, there are a number of changes occurring in dental services including the start of a new Senate inquiry and new registered nurses in residential aged care. Yet in the meantime there are gaps and delays in dental and oral health interventions for elderly Australians, unless training is more widely deployed.
Dental and oral health are important for the elderly for a number of important reasons:
- Maintaining overall health: Good dental and oral health are important for maintaining overall health in the elderly. Poor oral health can contribute to a range of health issues, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory problems.
- Nutrition: Maintaining good oral health is essential for proper nutrition, particularly for the elderly who may have difficulty eating due to tooth decay or missing teeth. Poor oral health can lead to malnutrition, which can exacerbate existing health problems.
- Pain management: Dental problems such as cavities, gum disease, and tooth infections can cause pain and discomfort, which can be particularly challenging for the elderly. Treating dental problems promptly can help manage pain and improve quality of life.
- Socialisation: Maintaining good oral health is important for socialisation and maintaining a positive self-image. Missing teeth or other dental problems can cause embarrassment and social isolation, which can negatively impact mental health and well-being.
- Preventing infection: Good oral hygiene is essential for preventing infection, particularly for the elderly who may be more susceptible to infections due to a weakened immune system. Poor oral health can contribute to infections such as pneumonia, which can be particularly dangerous for the elderly.
Overall, maintaining good dental and oral health is important for the elderly to maintain overall health, manage pain, improve nutrition, socialise, and prevent infections. Regular dental check-ups and good oral hygiene practices are essential for achieving and maintaining good oral health.
Australian Health Journal spoke to Leonie Short, a dental therapist working for Seniors Dental Care Australia on what she considers are dental and oral health priorities for the elderly, based on her work in the aged, home and disability sectors.
She passes her thoughts on the repetitive findings likely identified by the new Senate Select Committee into the Provision of and Access to Dental Services in Australia. She sees the need for funding a Seniors dental benefit scheme as the higher priority instead.
Leonie also speaks to the upcoming requirement for residential aged care having a registered nurse on site. There is a gap in the knowledge and evidenced based oral health care in residential aged care, for even cleaning of teeth or dentures. This training is provided by her organisation to nurses, support workers and carers.
Leonie recognises in Australian society, more elderly people are retaining their natural teeth, with crowns, implants and partial dentures and can be very complex to manage. However in her 9 years working in aged care settings, she clearly sees a lack of oral health care training.
-
Improving access to osteopathic services and integrated care models
The Chief Executive Officer of Osteopathy Australia, Antony Nicholas spoke with Australian Health Journal about:
– Involvement in the Strengthening Medicare Task Force
– The unique skills osteopaths have that can address the chronic disease burden
– Current workforce issues around osteopaths and if enough are coming through via student placements
– How uploading data to My Health Record by osteopaths could assist team-based care of patients
– How the value of osteopaths in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) could be better understood and better access for residents
– The recommendations around aged care access to allied health services, including osteopathy
– The recommendations around consumer access to osteopaths and GP referrals
– Other osteopathy recommendations in the upcoming Federal BudgetIn the lead up to the Australian Federal Budget in May 2023, Australian Health Journal reached out to peak health industry bodies to hear about their priorities, either noted in pre-budget submissions lodged with Federal Government in January 2023 or in recent forums such as the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce.
-
Dentist creates app to democratise oral health care
In this People In Health Care segment, Dr Gadiyar spoke to Australian Health Journal on how she hopes the app will help increase the number of people seeking dental treatment from the current 47% level in Australia. To date, 120,000 users have downloaded the app with more than 50 dental practices signed up with Smilo.ai to receive individual enquiries or seek dental treatment.
-
New treatment options under investigation for pelvic organ prolapse
Dr Shayanti Mukherjee, Research Group Head, Translational Tissue Engineering at the with her team at Hudson Institute of Medical Research is developing new ways to prevent and potential cure pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The technology aims to ultimately lead to safer and more effective treatment for women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) using a woman’s own stem cells to boost the effectiveness of a degradable mesh.
