Serie: Belangrijke medisch-tandheelkundige wisselwerkingen. Medicatie en kwetsbare ouderen in de mondzorgpraktijk

Important medical-dental interactions. Medication and older people with frailty in the oral healthcare practice

With ageing, chances of illness and physical problems increase; these are often accompanied by the need to use medication. With today’s ageing of the population, oral healthcare providers will see increasing numbers of older people with multimorbidity and polypharmacy (using 5 or more different medicines) in their practice. Due to likely complications and possible interactions as a result of oral healthcare interventions, knowledge about health issues and medication used is of great importance. This article aims to inform the reader about issues concerning the use of medication by older people with frailty in the oral healthcare practice. Medicines most often used by older people, problems encountered by oral healthcare providers when acquiring proper insight into the medical situation of an older person with frailty (not merely physical but cognitive and social, too) and medical-dental interactions of medication used by older people are discussed.