Aspects and Problems of Local Anesthesia in Older Patients: State of the Question

Abstract

Dental care is one of the types of medical care most demanded by various age groups of  patients. In the process of human aging, pathological and dystrophic changes develop in all organs and tissues, including the tissues of the maxillofacial region, which increases the need for patients to contact various specialists. Older and oldest-old often have several chronic somatic diseases and age-related mental characteristics, for the treatment of which several groups of drugs are used simultaneously. In geriatric dentistry, anesthesia should be applied taking into account polypharmacy, somatic and cognitive health. When deciding on a dosing regimen and assessing the risks of local anesthesia, it is important to consider not only the length of each visit to the dentist but also the total number of visits required to achieve dental health.