Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Physiologic alterations of oral mucosa due to aging: a review
Maria Cristina Ribeiro de Castro1, Marcia Ramos-e-Silva
1Section of Dermatology, University Hospital (HUCFF/UFRJ) and School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Abstract:
The Brazilian population, despite Brazil being considered a "country of young people", is undergoing an aging process entailed by a decline in the fertility and mortality rates. In the year 2000, seniors accounted for about 5.85% of the Brazilian, and population projections for 2025 estimate that the group will reach 14% by that time. Oral mucosa has a function of providing a barrier and promoting immune and inflammatory responses, thus protecting the body. During the aging process, those functions deteriorate, allowing the action of predisposing agents. There is thus the need of better knowledge of the conditions of oral health in the Brazilian population, allowing for adoption of preventive measures. Oral cavity examination should be routinely performed in the elderly on a yearly basis, as a preventive measure which would reduce the morbidity and mortality in this population.
Related Concept Videos
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
The Oral Microbiota
Cellular Adaptation I: Introduction and Atrophy