DESAFIOS E AVANÇOS NA ENDODONTIA EM PACIENTES GERIÁTRICOS: UMA REVISÃO DA LITERATURA

In recent years, the increase in life expectancy and the consequent aging of the population have brought new challenges to the health area, especially to dentistry. Geriatric dentistry, a field dedicated to the oral health care of the elderly, faces a series of obstacles related to the particularities of this age group. Among the challenges, the morbidities associated with aging, the prolonged use of medications that can affect oral health, and the difficulty in accessing appropriate dental treatments stand out. As patients age, various anatomical and physiological changes directly affect endodontic treatment. Among the most common is the calcification of root canals, which makes access to them more difficult and compromises proper location and instrumentation. Reducing the diameter of the canals also increases the complexity of the treatment, since the canals may be obliterated or too narrow, which requires more advanced techniques and a longer treatment time. In addition, the fragility of the teeth, resulting from decades of use and possible wear and tear, often leads to coronary or root fractures during treatment, requiring complex restorative approaches after endodontic therapy.