Recent clinical research in geriatric dentistry.

Abstract

Current increased interest in gerontology/geriatrics has extended to various areas of dental clinical research. Dental science is still at the stage of defining many problems in this field and much emphasis is placed on epidemiological studies. Contemporary trends in clinical research are reviewed, including radiographic studies of the jaw, masticatory studies, and studies on xerostomia, periodontal disease, and root caries. An emerging priority for this research is to distinguish normal functional and morphological changes with age from pathogenic processes. A cooperative and multidisciplinary approach, spanning various disciplines and methodologies, seems to be one which will yield the most comprehensive picture of clinical changes in the elderly. Of particular interest is the recently funded dual contract to Buffalo, NY and San Antonio, TX for the study of periodontal diseases in older adults. A major emphasis has been placed on a multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary approach with focus on clinical, radiological, immunological, microbiological, nutritional and psychological‐social factors. While each may be considered separately, a greater emphasis is placed on the interaction of these parameters. Such a multidisciplinary project with two investigation sites needs detailed planning of the overall design and the cooperation of each discipline to insure the ultimate success of such a venture, particularly with regard to the reproducibility between the sites.