AUTHOR=Rice Anne O. 

TITLE=Alzheimer's Disease and Oral-Systemic Health: Bidirectional Care Integration Improving Outcomes

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oral Health

VOLUME=Volume 2 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oral-health/articles/10.3389/froh.2021.674329

DOI=10.3389/froh.2021.674329

ISSN=2673-4842

ABSTRACT=Dentistry is an effective healthcare field that can impact Alzheimer’s disease through prevention and education. Every day dental providers use an arsenal of assessment protocols that directly coincide with modifiable Alzheimer’s risk factors. An innovative way to help in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease is to utilize oral health professionals who reach the public in ways other health care providers may not. Alzheimer’s is associated with many etiologies and pathophysiological processes. Some of these include cardiovascular health, smoking, sleep, inflammatory pathogens, and diabetes. Dental providers assess every single one of these factors daily and can be instrumental in educating patients on the influence of these factors for dementia prevention. By 2025, the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to rise by at least 14%. Such increases will strain local and national health care systems, but if Medicaid were expanded to include dental services, many older adults could be spared needless suffering. Existing practices being used in the field of dentistry can easily be adapted to educate patients in preventive care and even treat risk factors. It is the duty of healthcare professionals to explore all opportunities to stem the advance of this disease.