USA - The dentists should pay special attention to elderly patients

Since the rate of seniors in the U.S. population is increasing, they are likely to require dental care in the years to come: when dentists should pay special attention to the specific needs of elderly patients showed early March an article published in the edition in March / April of the "General Dentistry", a journal of the Academy of General Dentistry "

Senior citizens make up about 12% of the U.S. population and the rate will reach in the near future more than 20%, says the author of the article, adding that they are likely to follow medical treatment and that they should be taken into consideration during dental procedures.

Indeed, by prescribing a medication to an elderly patient, the dentist should pay attention to possible interactions with other medical treatment suffered by the patient, as well as possible side effects or overdoses to. In addition, the dentist may have a preventive role in tracking diseases not detected such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, liver or kidney, said the article.