GEROSTOMATOLOGY: EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ORAL CAVITY DISEASES IN ELDERLY PATIENTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON GENERAL HEALTH

Abstract

The aging of the population and the increasing proportion of elderly people are sharply raising the importance of gerostomatology—a dental discipline dealing with the oral health of elderly patients. Oral diseases are not only a local issue but also a source of chronic inflammation that contributes to the emergence and exacerbation of systemic pathologies.