Mouth care for people with dementia

Daily preventative care can help stop problems like painful cavities and infections before they arise, and means that you avoid pain when eating, drinking and communicating.

People living with dementia have a high rate of tooth decay and untreated lesions. This may be because they find it difficult to perform normal daily activities, and require some support to keep up with their oral hygiene routine. Others may not be able to express that they have a toothache and leave problems untreated.

It’s important that people living with dementia receive the help they need to keep their teeth and gums clean and free of debris so that they can maintain their self-esteem and avoid pain and infection. This helpful briefing from Dementia UK gives guidance around wearing dementia, care of gums and more (opens new window).