Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities

Smiles for Life is designed to enhance the role of primary care clinicians in the promotion of oral health for all age groups through the development and dissemination of high-quality educational resources.

• Course 3: Adult Oral Health
• Course 8: Geriatric Oral Health

Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) Resources

• ASTDD 2010 BSS Senior’s Manual
• Best Practice Approach Report: Oral Health in the Older Adult Population
• ASTDD Best Practice Approaches
• ASTDD Policy Committee
• ASTDD Program Support

• Aging in Place (National Aging in Place Council)
• A Healthy Smile Never Gets Old A California Report on the Oral Health of Older Adults (Center for Oral Health)
• Assisted Living Facilities, Tips for Choosing a Facility and Making the Transition (HelpGuide.org)
• Eldercare Locator (Administration on Aging and Administration of Community Living)
• Incurred Medical Expenses (IME)
  • Paying for Dental Care: A How-To Guide (ADA)
  • Suggested Steps for Dental Professionals (ADA)
• Oral Health Website (Administration on Aging and Administration of Community Living)
• Providing Dental Care for Geriatric Patients in Long-Term Care – TxOHC Powerpoint
• Resources for Patients and Health Care Professionals for Patients with Special Needs (University of Washington School of Dentistry)
• Seniors Health (Medline Plus)
• Seniors Oral Health Resource (Arcora Foundation)
• Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers
• Texas State Plan on Aging (DSHS, 2014)

• AI/AN – Protecting teeth later in life (Campaign for Dental Health)
• Older Americans Need Better Access to Dental Care Fact Sheet (PEW, 2016)
• Oral Health: An Essential Element of Healthy Aging Infographic (Gerontological Society of America, 2017)
• Oral Health and Older Adults (ACP & OHNEP) [English] [Spanish]
• S.192, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization (OAA, 2016)

• American Dental Education Association: Nursing Home Oral Health Manual
• Administration for Community Living Innovative Oral Health Programs
• University of Kentucky: Nursing Home Oral Health

• Interprofessional Solutions for Oral Health in Older Adults White Paper (Gerontological Society of America July 2017 )
• Improving Oral Health Access and Services for Older Adults (ASTDD, 2018)
• Oral Health’s Relationship to Disease and Options for Expanding Services for Older Adults and Adults who Have Disabilities (Administration for Community Living (ACL), 2016)
• Older Adults: Unique Challenges at the Interface Between Nutrition
  and Oral Health (Gerontological Society of America, 2020)
• Oral Health Status of Independent Older Adults in Texas: An observational study comparing urban and rural areas White Paper (Journal of Dental Hygiene, 2017)
• Dental Homes for Older Americans: The Santa Fe Group Call for Removal of the Dental Exclusion in Medicare” (American Journal of Public Health, 2017)
• Oral Health: An Essential Element of Healthy Aging (Gerontological Society of America)
• Oral Health for an Ageing Population (World Dental Federation)
• Picking Up the Pace of Change, 2017: A State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers (AARP, 2017)
• Smile Proud Final Report and BSS Data
• Smile Proud Project DSHS Analysis
• UT Health Consortium on Aging, 2017 Annual Report

MMLearn is a program of Morningside Ministries that provides educational videos for caregivers of older adults. Includes video series “Ask the Geriatrician”, and topics such as dementia, depression, oral care, health, hospice, caregivers help, grief and loss, diabetes, etc. Caregiver Training Videos.