Does dental disease presence equate to treatment need among care home residents?

A 15‐Year Comparative Prospective Study of Surgical and Prosthetic Care and Aftercare of Overdenture Treatment in the Atrophied Mandible: Augmentation Versus Nonaugmentation

“…Our long‐term results regarding the need for surgical and prosthetic aftercare reflect the need for such care in patients that regularly visited our outpatient department for routine inspection and treatment, when needed. It is advised that aftercare in these (relatively old) patients, when they become care dependent, should be organized in the near vicinity of, and in close cooperation with, their (elderly or nursing) homes . When routine inspections are not taken over by dental care providers in these institutions, the care for these patients with their implants is usually insufficient and may result in major, potentially life‐threatening, complications …”

Survey of health care personnel's attitudes toward oral hygiene in long‐term care facilities in Finland

“…A comparison study in England among the vulnerable population living in nursing and residential homes confirmed that 66% needed help with tooth brushing, only 16% cleaned their own teeth regularly, and 8% completely refused to have their teeth brushed . In addition, a study concerning the status of oral health in residential homes for older adults in Wales concluded that oral status of residents was poor relative to their community‐dwelling peers …”

What proportion of dental care in care homes could be met by direct access to dental therapists or dental hygienists?

“…16 Details of the ethical approval, sampling and oral examination are briefly summarised here as they have been previously reported. 12 The Multi-centre Research Ethics Committee in Wales agreed the study should include…”

“…13 In addition, a considerable proportion of the disease present does not require aggressive interventional treatment. 12 A Cochrane review of the evidence on the effectiveness, costs and cost-effectiveness of dental auxiliaries in providing care traditionally provided by dentists identified just five studies. 14 Four of these were over 20 years old, all five were at high risk for bias and no conclusions were drawn from these studies.…”

“…The need for extra time for oral health care among this vulnerable group makes it more expensive than that for the wider population. 12 Many care home residents require simple dental treatment, complicated by the need for extra time to deliver dental care. 13 Although there is a large volume of need for improved oral hygiene, scaling of teeth, application of Background Many care home residents require simple dental treatment which is complicated by the need for extra time to deliver dental care.…”