Dental Care for Aging Populations in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom, and Germany

Abstract

This article reviews access to and financing of dental care for aging populations in selected nations in Europe. Old age per se does not seem to be a major factor in determining the use of dental services. Dentition status, on the other hand, is a major determinant of dental attendance. In addition to perceived need, a variety of social and behavioral factors as well

Oral health status in older immigrants in a medium‐sized Swedish city

“…Oral health and dental service utilization is related to socio‐economic conditions and age . In the Swedish survey from 2009 21% of 80 year olds had abandoned dental care due to lack of money.…”

“…When elderly immigrants avoid visiting dental services the risk is that they are not identified as eligible for benefits which in turn increases the risk of lack of money becoming an unnecessary barrier. Other hindrances to regular dental care may be language barriers, skills shortages and negative attitudes among staff leading to elderly patients with immigrant backgrounds being given lower priority . Older immigrants form a heterogeneous group consisting of many nationalities and experiences and it is to be expected that their knowledge of and attitudes to dental care and oral health vary greatly.…”

“…Oral health and utilization of dental services are strongly associated with socio‐economic factors. In addition, old age and the need for support in daily living appear to have a negative effect on the take up of dental services . As a consequence, oral health varies greatly among the public in general and among older people in particular .…”

Correlates of attitudes and perceived behavioural control towards oral care provision among trained and untrained nursing home caregivers in Singapore

“…However, poor access, availability and use of dental services are prevalent in nursing homes (Holm‐Pedersen et al . ). Common barriers to dental services include cost, lack of perceived need, transportation difficulties, and the physical and functional limitations of the older residents (Dolan et al .…”

Iowa intermediate care facilities: An evaluation of care providers’attitudes toward oral hygiene care

“…Many of these adults will outlive their parents and will need help with their ADL, so their needs may require them to live in intermediate long‐term care institutions. It has been documented that many of these individuals have untreated oral problems and that, 7–9 in general, those people living in long‐term care facilities experience the highest level of need and the lowest level of daily oral care.…”