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Biomedical subjects

I Nitschke

Publications and source records attributed to I Nitschke.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Oral health, dental state and nutrition in older adults].

The loss of natural teeth impairs essentially the chewing function and can only partly be restored by the insertion of dental prostheses. Equally, xerostomia and dysphagia may aggravate the nutritional intake in older adults. Often denture wearers do subjectively not notice the adjustment of their food choice and the employment of special preparation techniques. Finally the dental state influences the nutritional intake. A reduced number of teeth correlates with the intake of less calories, proteins, fat, non-starch polysaccharides and vitamins. Often missing calories are compensated by an increased consumption of sugar and fat. Especially edentulous persons with a low level of education choose a diet which is rich in fat and sugar. Further the daily intake of fruit and vegetables diminishes along with fewer occlusal contacts in posterior teeth. The restoration of the chewing function by dental intervention does not lead to an improvement of the nutritional intake by itself and should therefore always be complemented by nutritional advice.

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PubMed2001

The uptake of dental services by elderly Germans.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the uptake of dental services by the old and very old population within the scope of the Berlin Aging Study (Berliner Altersstudie BASE). DESIGN: A multi-disciplinary structured interview was performed on 928 subjects, aged from 70 to 103 years of whom 516 persons volunteered to take part in a 14-session intensive protocol. Six representative study groups were matched for age and gender. Subjects were asked to recall the timing of their most recent dental visit. Data were validated by sending for dental records and compared with all study participants from the multi-disciplinary intake assessment. Data were related to age group, dental state, dementia and education. RESULTS: Reported last contact with dental services ranged from 2 weeks to 52 years (median 18 months) with a higher time lapse in the study groups aged 85 and older. Dentate subjects had seen their dentist more recently than edentate subjects. Higher education correlated with an increased dental utilisation. Subjective memory on the time lapse since the last dental appointment coincided in 13% of the subjects with available dental records (n=84), was misjudged between one and six months in 55%, and by more than six months in the remainder. Moderately or severely demented subjects who remembered their last dental appointment (n=48 of 70) showed no consistently different utilisation to healthy or mildly demented study participants. CONCLUSION: Edentate old and very old subjects show the least frequent utilisation of dental services. Data on motivation and barriers to care are needed to develop strategies to improve the use of dental services and thus promote oral health in late life.

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PubMed2001

Geriatric oral health issues in Germany.

A review of the oral health issues for the elderly in Germany is presented. The percentage of aged and very old people in the total population of Germany is increasing rapidly, as is the percentage of the dentate population due to the high standard of dental care. The percentage of the edentulous population has therefore decreased. It has become necessary for all who care for the elderly, to adjust to caring for the dentate patient and to begin to work together and communicate about the patient's needs. Physicians in particular need to be given training in the detection of caries, periodontal diseases and denture problems. They should feel comfortable working with the dentist and dental team as partners in rehabilitation treatment. The dental treatment needs of the German population aged 70 years and older are not yet adequately met although the social insurance of the elderly includes dental treatment. Provision of oral health care for the dependent elderly, especially those who are homebound or in nursing homes, is not effectively organised and has to be completely reconsidered. The social health insurance and the social long-term care insurance must adjust their insurance coverage to the dental needs of the frail elderly. The development and further improvement of age-adjusted dental care is of crucial importance with respect to future demographic changes.

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PubMed2000

[Fundamentals of dentistry for geriatric rehabilitation--an introduction to geriatric dentistry].

The percentage of aged and very old people in the total population is increasing rapidly in industrialized countries. This is an important change which, in particular, affects the areas of dentistry and oral medicine. The problems that this older population group face need to be given more attention and need to be brought more into the forefront of dental and oral medicine. The percentage of the dentate population has increased in Germany, due to the high standard of the dental care. The percentage of the edentulous population has therefore decreased. It has become necessary for those who care for the elderly to adjust to caring for the dentate patient, as opposed to edentulous patient. It is important for all professions involved in the treatment and care of geriatric patients to have an awareness of the basic fundamentals of geriatric dentistry within general rehabilitation. Doctors in particular need to be given training in the detection of caries, peridontal diseases, and denture problems. They should feel confident working with the dentist and his team as partners in the rehabilitation treatment. It is especially important that geriatric hospitals have experience in dentistry and oral hygiene, so that damage to life-long well cared for teeth can be prevented, and so that poor oral hygiene during a hospital stay does not result in dental problems. Dentists and their teams will have to adjust to the treatment of aged and multimorbidic patients. More discussion is also necessary between dentists involved in all areas of geriatric medicine, geriatric dentistry, and geriatric dental public health.

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PubMed2000

Amalgam fillings and cognitive abilities in a representative sample of the elderly population.

OBJECTIVES: The ongoing controversial discussion about a possible negative effect of amalgam fillings on the cognitive abilities and the pathogenesis dementia was the objective of the present study. SAMPLE: A total of 300 patients aged from 70 to 103 years were selected from the multidisciplinary 'Berlin Aging Study' (BASE). The sample was heterogeneous concerning lifestyle, education and social prestige. According to their dental state subjects were allocated into three groups: edentate > or = 20 years (I) and residual teeth without (II) or with (III) amalgam restorations. All groups were matched for age and gender. DESIGN: Dental examinations and various psychiatric as well as psychological assessments were carried out by professionals within the protocol of the BASE. Tests were chosen to reveal the presence and degree of dementia and assess cognitive abilities such as 'perceptual speed', 'reasoning', 'memory', 'fluency' and 'knowledge'. RESULTS: The present findings negate a correlation between the dental state and the pathogenesis of dementia and the physiological age-related decline in cognitive abilities. Thus the presence of amalgam fillings did neither correlate to a demented mental condition nor an impaired cognitive performance.

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PubMed1991

[Dental care in homes for the elderly and aged. Organization and opinion of home management].

Managements of homes for the elderly and aged have been interviewed on the size and general organisation of their institutions, the amount of new admissions, and type and frequency of dental care for their residents. The home management was also asked to evaluate the dental care. Many managements show no understanding for problems in this respect. Regular dental control and assistance with oral hygiene, as well as regular training of the staff, are often thought to be unnecessary. This estimation of the actual state of dental care in such institutions indicates that information and motivation of management and nursing staff is the first step to improve the dental care of the home-residents.

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