Dentures in dementia: a two-edged sword

Excerpt

An 80-year-old man with a history of Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease, seizures, transient ischemic episodes, falls, deafness, macular degeneration, chronic atrial fibrillation, hypertension, gout, depression, and a pacemaker was admitted to hospital from his nursing home with a two day history of shortness of breath. He was unable to provide a history due to his dementia, although the possibility of aspiration of a denture plate was suggested by staff. Examination revealed reduced air entry on the right side and a chest X-ray showed collapse of the right lung but no foreign body. He could not tolerate a chest CT as he was not able to lie flat without desaturating. Due to his significant medical history palliative therapy was chosen and he died the following day. …