Oral Hygiene and Overall Health

Your smile is about more than your teeth—it may offer important clues about your overall health.For clinicians working with older adults, oral health deserves a closer look. Poor oral health is associated with conditions like dementia, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Common medications can also cause dry mouth, making oral hygiene more challenging.Ask your patients: "Do you have a dentist you trust?"

Bleeding gums, mouth sores that don't heal, or swallowing difficulties may be reasons to seek further evaluation. And if brushing is difficult, consider what barriers might be getting in the way—like limited endurance, hand function, or access to supplies. Sometimes the mouth is one of the first places we notice that something needs attention. Save this reminder and share it with a clinician who works with older adults.What oral health barriers do you see most often in your patients?#OlderAdultCare #OralHealth #HealthcareEducation #GeriatricCare #ClinicalPractice

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