Welcoming Older Adults to Your Dental Office
Overview

The United States (US) is experiencing dramatic demographic change. For the first time in history, there are more Americans over the age of 60 than under the age of 10. This transition in the age composition of the population is affecting all Americans, especially those employed in health care. According to the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA), in 2014 14.5% of the US population was age 65 or older, and this proportion is projected to reach 21.7% by 2040.

This online continuing education course will explore the demographic and socioeconomic profiles of older adults and review the clinical challenges encountered in their oral health management, including:

• patient management and communication strategies;
• assessment of non-dental risk factors for oral disease;
• oral assessment and common oral problems;
• clinical findings affecting management of older adults; and
• oral disease prevention recommendations for dentate and edentulous older adults.