ATHENS, Ohio -- The spring series of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine's Geriatric Education Brown Bag seminars continues Monday, March 17, with R. Craig Mathews, D.D.S., presenting "Dental Implants and Prosthetics for the Elderly." The seminar will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in conference room B-9 at O'Bleness Memorial Hospital.
His presentation will cover helpful and health promoting dental options for the elderly, including overdentures, which allow for better nutrition than conventional dentures. An overdenture is a type of denture that fits over any remaining teeth or is attached to implants that are placed in the jawbone to replace the roots of missing teeth. Overdentures are considered more stable than conventional dentures and less likely to shift in the mouth leading to less difficulty eating, allowing wearers to chew meat and hard fruits and vegetables. These choices have a positive affect on the diet of the elderly, said Ellen Peterson, R.N., OU-COM geriatric education coordinator.
Craig will also discuss tooth loss and the results of tooth loss, such as bone loss, change in facial contours, aesthetics and self-esteem. The advantages and disadvantages of dental implants will also be addressed. Brown bags are welcome.
For more information, call the Geriatric Education Center at 593-2258. Each lecture in this series of geriatric medicine/gerontology seminars is held from noon to 1 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month at O'Bleness, room B-9.
This is the second seminar in the spring series. The first seminar was March 3 with Joan Stroh, presenting "Suicide in the Elderly." The third seminar will be held April. 7 with Lea Blackburn presenting "Frailty in the Elderly." The fourth seminar will be held April. 21 with James D. Bove III, D.O., presenting "Diverticular Disease." The fifth seminar will be held May 5 with Ann Rathbun, Ph.D., presenting "Health Literacy." The last seminar will be held May 19 with Jen-Tzer Gau, M.D., Ph.D., presenting "Diabetes in the Older Adult."
"The seminars are designed for an interdisciplinary audience," said Peterson. "Health professionals from the community regularly attend, in addition to interns, residents and medical students. The diversity of disciplines represented by the participants makes for an interesting exchange of ideas."
The sponsors of the seminars include the Department of Geriatric Medicine/Gerontology, the Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center and Area Health Education Center and OU-COM.
Peterson said the seminar series was started by a federal grant that established OU-COM as a contributing site to the Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center in Sept. 1994 and has supported many continuing education programs. Provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, the grant supports educational programs in geriatric and gerontology for physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors and health-care providers to 22 Southeastern Ohio counties.
