[A Phd completed. Older people in the dentist practice: oral health and oral health care]. / Serie: Hora est. Ouderen in de tandartspraktijk: mondgezondheid en mondzorgverlening.

This thesis describes the oral health of community-dwelling older people who visit a dental practice as seen from the perspective of both the older person and the dentist. In addition, the oral health care provided by dentists and the barriers they may perceive are described. The older people who still visit the dentist are relatively healthy, well-educated, and dentate. As they grow older, they face increasing health problems, increased medication use and oral health issues. The age of 75 seems to be a tipping point. Dentists are mainly providing curative care, focusing on preserving the dentition. In the assessment of oral health, older people appeared to assess their own oral health more positively than the dentist. The barriers in the provision of oral health care were mainly related to health problems, misunderstood behaviour, and poor daily oral hygiene by the older people. Earlier identified barriers appeared to be related to knowledge, practice conditions and financial reimbursement for the work.

[A view on collective oral care for frail older people: united we stand]. / Visie op de collectieve mondzorg voor kwetsbare ouderen: eendracht maakt macht.

Oral health in frail older people is often poor. There are a number of reasons for this, such as increased morbity and decreased motivation for (self) care. Good oral health is, however, very important. Studies have revealed poor oral health to cause or aggravate several medical and psychological problems. Illness and medication can, in turn, damage oral health. Oral health among the elderly should therefore be carefully monitored and maintained. This requires multidisciplinary and interprofessional collaboration on the part of healthcare professionals and others involved. Such collaboration is now still very limited; hardly anything has been written about how such collaboration in the area of oral care for frail older people should or could be organised. This article provides an overview of the possibilities and the relevant factors in the area of oral care for the elderly in promoting collaboration among healthcare professionals and others involved. All of this is under the banner of 'united we stand'.

[Specialties in dentistry. Salivary flow and swallowing in Parkinson's disease]. / Beroepsdifferentiatie in de tandheelkunde. 5. Speekselvloed en slikvermogen bij de ziekte van Parkinson.

Parkinson's disease is a slowly progressive and irreversible disorder of the nervous system. Drooling is listed as a secondary symptom of Parkinson's disease. Its cause is insufficiently clear. In the literature 2 possible causes are described: hypersalivation and swallowing abnormalities. These parameters have not been measured in a single study before. This article presents a review of the literature on the subject and describes the design for a future clinical study. The aim of this clinical study is to gain an insight into the cause and the prevalence of drooling in Parkinson's patients. A group of 50 Parkinson's patients will be compared to a group of 50 controls. The objectives of this comparative study comprise the assessment of salivary flow volumes, swallowing capacity, subjective experiences with drooling and an objective observation of drooling, the drooling quotient. Finally, the possibilities for treatment will be described.

[Active oral health care for frail elderly people. An increasing responsibility]. / Proactieve mondzorg voor onzelfredzame ouderen. Een toenemende verantwoordelijkheid.

The number of elderly people in the Dutch society is increasing. As a result their number will grow in any dental practice. More elderly people keep (at least part of) their own dentition which requires pro-active oral health care. Ageing is associated with a greater prevalence of chronic diseases and disability. General self-care might decrease when frailty comes. As a consequence, problems with oral self-care will occur. Dental general practitioners have a responsibility to provide adequate oral care for their elderly patients. Information on their general medical conditions and the effects these might have on their oral health should be collected for individual oral health care programmes. Preventive and individual oral care programmes are recommended.