高齢者の口腔ケア

Current treatments for oral and maxillo-facial diseases. Oral care for elderly people.

　高齢者の口腔健康管理を行うことは，高齢者自身のQOLの向上や健康寿命の延伸，ひいてはwell beingやgood deathへつながるため非常に重要な問題である。しかしながら，要介護高齢者の口腔内には食渣やデンタルプラークが多量に残存しており，誤嚥性肺炎をはじめとする全身疾患の原因となっていることは少なくない。歯科医師や歯科衛生士が口腔機能管理，口腔衛生管理を行い，他職種と連携して口腔ケアを行うことで要介護高齢者の口腔内を衛生的に保ち，口腔機能を維持できる。

　Oral health care for elderly people is important to improve quality of life, extend healthspan and is related with well being and good death. However, food debris and dental plaque remain in the oral cavity of much elderly people required long-term care and cause systemic disease such as aspiration pneumonitis. Dentist and dental hygienist can keep clean the oral cavity of requiring long-term care and prevent the decline of oral function by professional oral function care, professional oral hygiene care and general oral care with multi-disciplinary.