Periodontal treatment for elderly patients

The largest growing segment of our society is that of older adults. The population explosion of older adults challenges both general practitioners and periodontists to provide the highest level of care available. More of our patients will have concurrent medical conditions that alter or modify the delivery and provision of periodontal care. This paper reviews some of the common conditions occurring in the older patient and suggests some modifications in periodontal therapy which may be beneficial. The therapist must be knowledgeable about the medications commonly used for treating the chronic diseases of the older population. Finally, the therapist must become adept in performing functional assessments of patients so that the types of therapy administered contribute to the quality of life desired by patients.