Oral Health and Physical and Mental Limitations among the Elderly

Aging corresponds to a stage with its own biological, psychological and social characteristics. During this phase pathophysiological changes appear that may affect the whole body, and, more specifically, the oral cavity. The physical and cognitive limitations are those that most affect the oral health, especially among the elderly. This study aims to conduct a literature review about oral health among the elderly with physical and mental limitations, in particular with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. To carry out this review article the search strategies included electronic databases, reference lists of articles, and selected textbooks. Articles and textbooks used in this study were mainly reached by using the following keywords: “oral health”, “elderly”, and “stroke”, “Parkinson's disease”, “Alzheimer's disease”, “musculoskeletal disorders. By the end of the research, 16 scientific articles were selected. The prevalence of oral health diseases increase with age and is highly associated with neurological disease development. Therefore, the maintenance of the quality of life among the elderly should have in consideration the risk of neurological disease development and the influence that theses outcomes may have in the oral health of the elderly. Dental health professionals must be highly aware of the limitations that these patients present in undergoing their own daily oral hygiene and tha higher risk of oral disease development.