Oral mucosal and osseous disorders in frail elders*

OBJECTIVE: This paper reviews the implications of frailty for oral health in old age due to the incidence of oral pathoses following on mucosal atrophy, tooth loss, trauma from dentures, polypharmacy, malnutrition, salivary disorders, degeneration of jawbone and cancer. BACKGROUND: Frailty as a condition of old age occurs when elders have energy levels below a critical threshold, or when the social or cultural environment is limited. RESULTS: Frail elders are particularly vulnerable to pathoses, but not simply because of old age per se. Oral diseases accompanying frailty are due to a complicated mixture of biopsychosocial changes that accompany old age. CONCLUSIONS: Management of oral mucosal and osseous disorders in frail elders requires an understanding of the changes that occur with advancing age.