Geriatric Dentistry: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions
A Special Issue of Dentistry Journal (ISSN 2304-6767).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 September 2026) | Viewed by 2367
Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The global population is aging at an unprecedented rate, and oral health has become a critical component of healthy longevity. Older adults frequently present with complex oral conditions influenced not only by tooth loss and periodontal disease but also by systemic health issues and functional decline. In particular, oral frailty—a multidimensional deterioration of oral function—has emerged as an early indicator of general frailty and future disability. Moreover, growing evidence shows that poor oral health and reduced masticatory function are closely associated with cognitive impairment, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and various forms of dementia. Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease further challenge oral self-care, chewing ability, and prosthetic management.
In this population, the burden of oral disease is often underestimated due to difficulties in maintaining oral hygiene, limited access to care, polypharmacy-induced xerostomia, and functional disability. Effective oral health strategies must therefore integrate disease prevention, personalized patient management, and caregivers’ support, while considering each patient’s cognitive status, comorbidities, and social context.
Digital dentistry offers transformative opportunities to improve diagnostics, treatment planning, and long-term maintenance in geriatric patients. The use of intraoral scanners, digital occlusal analysis, artificial intelligence–assisted diagnosis, 3D-printed prostheses, and remote monitoring platforms can provide safer, faster, and more predictable care—particularly for individuals with mobility limitations or neurocognitive disorders. Advances in digital workflows are also improving the fabrication accuracy of removable prostheses, guiding minimally invasive surgical procedures, and enabling new models of home- or facility-based oral care.
Despite these advances, many challenges remain. The heterogeneity of aging, the presence of multiple chronic diseases, and variations in cognitive and functional abilities require a tailored, interdisciplinary approach. There is an urgent need for robust clinical evidence to support preventive strategies, regenerative therapies, digital applications, and innovative care models for older adults. Understanding how systemic aging, neurodegeneration, and oral disease interact will be essential to improving quality of life and reducing the global burden of age-related oral health problems.
This Special Issue invites original research, clinical studies, technological developments, and comprehensive reviews related to geriatric dentistry. Submissions focusing on oral frailty, cognitive impairment and dementia, neurodegenerative disorders, interdisciplinary care pathways, digital dentistry applications, preventive programs, prosthetic rehabilitation, regenerative strategies, and long-term maintenance in elderly patients are particularly encouraged. Contributions that bridge basic science, clinical practice, and public health perspectives will help define the future of geriatric oral healthcare.
We look forward to receiving your high-quality work that will advance our understanding of aging-related oral health and foster innovative approaches for improving dental care in older adults.
Dr. Jung-Tae Lee
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- periodontal diseases
- dementia
- geriatric dentistry
- parkinson disease
- frailty
- frail elderly
- aged
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