ISSN : 0376-4672
노인치과환자들을 대할 때 일반 성인치과환자들의 연장선에서 보는 시각의 패러다임에서 탈피해야 한다. 왜냐하면 노인치과환자들은 일반 성인치과환자들과 확실하게 다른 특성을 가지고 있고 다른 접근법이 있기 때문이다. 그 동안 노인치과환자들이 소수이었기 때문에 이러한 특성들이 무시되어도 아무런 탈이 없었지만 앞으로 노인인구가 전체인구의 1/3을 차지하는 시대에서는 더 이상 무탈할 것 같지 않다.
The age structure has been experiencing substantial change due to the decreased birth rate as well as the increased life expectancy. Gorge Magnus, an English economist, casts warnings of population ageing which has the potential of huge socioeconomic impact human society has never experienced before. The prediction that proportion of elderly people in need of oral health care will increase substantially is a new challenge to dentists in the future. The old paradigm that the aged person is just the person who was born earlier and needs the same conventional oral health care should be shifted to the new one. Elderly people tend to express their political interest related with health care system by actively participating in the national elections. The need to sustain economic status for the extended life span makes them seek eagerly esthetic health care to maintain sound social function. Most of them are under multiple chronic diseases and take related medicines. In addition, many studies report about mental change as well as physical change among the aged people. Since the prevalence of dental diseases among the aged is higher than other chronic devastating diseases, the aged seeking oral health care will increase. The aged who has different physical and psychological status as well as chronic disease and related medicine will show unexpected response to the conventional oral health care. In addition,the impact of tooth loss is substantial physically, mentally and emotionally. Dentist should prepare different approaches for the elderly dental patient.
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