Palliative dental care for the older person

The worldwide requirement for palliative care is expected to rise owing to the growing disease burden and an ageing global population. People receiving palliative care have a significant level of oral-health complications, with nearly nine out of 10 having at least one oral health symptom. Dentistry plays a key role within palliative care for the older person, with issues including accessing treatment and communication, and dental professionals need to understand the implications and management of changes to mental capacity and psychological disengagement. A case study illustrates an example of an approach to treatment planning and management of the palliative dental patient. Increasing frailty and declining medical and oral health have implications for palliative dental care. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Good palliative dental care for older adults focuses on relieving pain and maintaining comfort and function to safeguard quality of life.