DE's Business Lab: Adapting care to aging patients

I recently chatted with Sonya Dunbar, MHA, RDH, aka the Geriatric Tooth Fairy. She’s made it her mission to help the aging population with their changing oral health, as well as educate dental professionals on how to help this population transition their oral health needs as they age.

Sonya has what she calls the Net Program, which means catching patients in the part of life when they’re transitioning from independence to needing assistance. Dental professionals can make note of these changes and begin to adapt their approaches to care. This often involves educating family members or long-term care facility staff about someone’s oral care routine.

Dental professionals have a responsibility to help their older patients maintain their oral care, which will of course lead to better overall health as they age.