Doctors Discuss Medical/Dental Issues Facing the Elderly and Why Interdisciplinary Collaboration is Required

NEW YORK (May 29, 2009) – The recognized link between oral and systemic health among older adults has grown stronger in recent years, however, physicians and dentists are rarely provided with an opportunity to discuss the implications of oral-systemic health in a growing population that will only become larger as “Baby Boomers” move into their senior years.

Oral health care for the expanding population of older adults requires closer collaboration among dentists, physicians and other heath care workers. To this end, the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine held an interdisciplinary Continuing Education course on “Collaborative Oral Health Care for Older Adults” on May 29, 2009, which was co-sponsored by the New York State Dental Foundation.

Ira Lamster, DDS, MMSc

The course emphasized that dentists need to consider not just dental findings but any medical co-morbidities and medications a patient is taking, in order to develop successful treatments. During this full-day course, doctors had the opportunity to develop an understanding of the health care issues unique to the elderly population, while exploring various approaches to meeting the health needs among older adults.

Furthermore, the course allowed physicians and oral health care professionals to become familiar with the complex social, medical and mental health concerns that are so often experienced by older patients, said Lynn Tepper, MA, MS, EdM, EdD, clinical professor of behavioral science and public health, and an instructor in the course.

The dean of the College of Dental Medicine, Dr. Ira Lamster, DDS, MMSc, who presented a module on the prevalence of oral and dental diseases in older adults, and oral infection as a risk factor in systemic diseases, had this to say about the course: “Physicians need to recognize oral and dental problems in their patients because of the impact these problems can have on quality of like and the ways they can exacerbate a number of diseases, including diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, as well as respiratory disease.”

Physicians who attended said they had learned some of the newest oral health treatment approaches and modifications to treatment planning for their patients while understanding the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration in treating these patients.

In the words of Laura Leon, executive director of the New York State Dental Foundation, “the oral health care issues faced by older Americans and manifold and too intricately tied to the populations overall health to be ignored. This course in an invaluable experience in which physicians can learn more about what will soon be one of the most pressing issues in health care.”

Faculty, both dentists and physicians, also presented practical information on topics such as: demographics, lifestyle, barriers to care, psychosocial aspects of aging, common medical conditions which effect physical and mental health, pharmacological considerations, surgical guidance and maximizing the prosthetic outcome, modifications of treatment, interdisciplinary care and collaboration.

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Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) was established in 1916 as the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, when the School became incorporated into Columbia University. The College’s mission has evolved into a tripartite commitment to education, patient care, and research. The mission of the College of Dental Medicine is to train general dentists, dental specialists, and dental assistants in a setting that emphasizes comprehensive dental care delivery and stimulates professional growth; inspire, support, and promote faculty, pre- and postdoctoral student, and hospital resident participation in research to advance the professional knowledge base; and provide comprehensive dental care for the underserved community of northern Manhattan. For more information, please visit: http://dental.columbia.edu/

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians & Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.cumc.columbia.edu.