Oral Health Determines Quality of Life for Dementia Patients... "Need to Promote Visiting Dental Care"

Jijun Lim, President of the Dementia Oral Health Association, Stresses the Need for Caregiver Training in Nursing Facilities
Calls for Promotion of Visiting Dental Care System and Discussion of Reimbursement Improvements

"One of the most fatal diseases for elderly people with dementia is aspiration pneumonia. However, if a dementia patient receives oral care just once a week, the probability of developing pneumonia is reduced to a quarter."

Jijun Lim, President of the Korean Dementia Oral Health Association

Jijun Lim, President of the Korea Dementia Oral Health Association and Chief Director of Warm Dental Hospital, made this statement on November 19 at the 8th Media Academy hosted by the Korea Medical Bio Journalists Association, under the theme "The Importance of Oral Care for Elderly Health and Care in a Super-Aged Society."

Lim, who specializes in dental treatment for people with disabilities and dementia, pointed out that when oral health deteriorates, the overall health and quality of life in old age are significantly diminished. He explained that patients may experience malnutrition and digestive disorders due to their inability to properly eat or chew food, and that the risk of developing dementia also increases. When periodontitis causes inflammation in the gums, inflammatory substances can enter the bloodstream and increase beta-amyloid, which is known to cause Alzheimer's disease.

Lim emphasized, "The more teeth a person loses, the higher the risk of Alzheimer's disease, and nutritional imbalances caused by difficulties in eating accelerate the progression of dementia," adding, "Oral health management is extremely important in elderly care."

Currently, dementia patients are not classified as persons with disabilities under the system, so they are not eligible for additional support such as increased health insurance reimbursement. As a result, a considerable number of dentists avoid treating dementia patients. Although it is possible for dentists to regularly visit nursing facilities or patients' homes to treat those with mobility issues, this also presents challenges, as dentists must carry a large amount of equipment and chairs required for treatment.

Lim cited Japan's "8020 Project" (maintaining 20 teeth until the age of 80), one of the country's most successful national health policies, as a representative example. He argued that Korea should also establish an oral care education system for caregivers in nursing facilities and promote a visiting dental care system.

In Japan, oral care is considered highly important at the national level, and this priority is reflected in policy improvements whenever long-term care insurance is revised. Dentists regularly visit nursing homes or patients' homes to provide oral health management, and local governments grant additional benefits even if facility staff only provide information on patients' oral health status. Thanks to these efforts and support, as of 2016, half of Japanese seniors aged 80 or older had maintained 20 or more teeth.

Lim stressed, "Korea should also apply realistic reimbursement rates for dentists' home visits to promote dental care in nursing facilities," and added, "It is necessary to increase incentives for maintaining oral health, such as reflecting oral care at a higher level in the evaluation indicators for nursing facilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.