緩和ケアと医学

抽象的な

Palliative Care Dentistry-A Boon for the Elderly

Vishwas Bhatia* and Garima Bhatia

Palliative care deals with patients in the end phase of their life. These patients should receive a treatment which focuses on the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual. Now, a question may arise, what role could a dentist have in palliative care. Well, it has to be brought to everyone’s notice that a dental treatment may not always consist of straining curative treatment approaches, but also focuses on the improvement of the quality of life. The aim of this paper is to give a view of general dental problems in geriatrics/old age people and their treatments that might not only relieve them of their disease but have a positive impact on their psychology, as during this phase of life our only aim should be to put back a smile on their face.