Abstract
Objective: To identify the relationship between oral hygiene and health of the elderly, healthy or with dementia syndromes, in primary health care, highlighting the effect of educational actions on the behavior of the elderly, caregivers and professionals. Methods: This is a systematic literature review, using Lilacs, Medline and BBO databases, with a 05-year time cut (2015-2019). The research structuring occurred through the acronym PICO, using the descriptors (P) Aged and Primary Health Care and (I) Oral Hygiene and (C) not applicable (O) Oral Health. The sample included studies referring to the elderly population, focused on oral hygiene, and excluded studies addressing only health professionals’ perspective, not focusing on oral health. Results: Six articles were obtained, four in English and two in Portuguese. The articles addressed the relationship between oral hygiene and health in the healthy elderly and those with some type of disease, such as Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease, also discussing the importance of educational actions for health professionals and caregivers, in addition to the lack of guidance in some cases. Conclusion: New samples are necessary to elaborate efficient policies and programs directed to the promotion of oral health in elderly people.