Dental needs of the elderly in the 21st century.

The average age of the world's population is increasing rapidly. The "graying of America" presents new opportunities and new challenges for improving the oral health of the elderly, particularly those afflicted with neurocognitive impairments. The dental problems associated with these conditions include but are not limited to a decrease in oral hygiene; difficulty in controlling and retaining dentures; xerostomia, which often is drug-associated, and consequential root caries, recurrent decay, and purposeless chewing. Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease are the most prevalent type of progressive neurocognitive impairing illnesses, affecting millions of elderly Americans. As the adult population increases, a greater number of patients with these diagnoses will require dental care. Dental providers need to be aware of the special problems associated with the treatment of the older healthy subject and the neurocognitively impaired patient.