Study: 45% of Ontario seniors not seeing dentist regularly

Nearly half (45%) of people 65 years and older in Ontario, Canada, did not see a dentist in the last year, according to a report by researchers from St. Michael's Hospital, Women's College Hospital, and the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences.

According to the researchers, women make up the majority of the older population, and they are more likely to have two or more chronic conditions than men and report more disability and chronic pain and less likely to be physically active.

Poor oral health can contribute to many serious medical conditions and affect a person's ability to chew and digest food properly, leading to inadequate nutrition, noted principal investigator Arlene Bierman, MD, in a press release.

"With dental services not covered under our universal health insurance program and many older adults not visiting dentists regularly, the findings suggest we need to rethink the services we provide to help keep seniors healthy as they age," she said.