The importance of oral rehabilitation for quality of life of the elderly: case report: case report

Abstract

Inadequate oral health can compromise the nutritional, physical and mental status of the elderly. The dental surgeon needs to be aware of these health conditions of the elderly and be able to rehabilitate them. The objective of this work is to report the clinical case of an elderly patient with numerous oral complications, its harm to the patient's physical health, to demonstrate the adopted rehabilitation treatment plan, the steps of the procedures performed, the challenges of reestablishing the vertical dimension of occlusion (OVD) and improvements in the patient's general health after treatment. The case is that of a 75-year-old patient who attended the Faculty of Dentistry of the Federal University of Pará, reporting a historic of edema on the face, unsatisfactory aesthetics, chew difficulty and weight loss. The treatment plan was carried out in four stages: elimination of foci of infections, with periodontal treatments and extractions; restorations; provisional prosthetic rehabilitation, with immediate total prosthesis and direct adhesive fixed prosthesis; definitive prosthetic rehabilitation, with total prosthesis and removable partial prosthesis. Concluded that the diagnosis, the treatment plan and the correct execution of the rehabilitation procedures, are of extreme importance for the restoration of the oral health of the elderly patients. Thus, it should not be seen separately from physical health, as they are correlated, since untreated oral diseases can cause infections and loss of teeth, resulting in numerous problems, therefore worsening your general health.