Oral health care status of homebound elderly in Japan

Abstract

We examined the present conditions of oral health care in order to contribute towards an effective system to provide oral health care for homebound elderly in Japan. A questionnaire was mailed to homebound elderly subjects (n=908) and returned by mail. A 73.6% response was achieved. The questionnaire was designed to elicit information with respect to the general condition of the subjects and independence of oral health care. About 70% of the subjects were chair- or bed-bound. Among all subjects, 37.6% required partial or full assistance on toothbrushing, 55.6% on cleaning dentures and 46.7% on eating. The degree of oral health care tended to be poor for chair- or bed-bound elderly compared with independent or house-bound elderly. Homebound elderly with lower Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL) required more support for oral health care compared with elderly with higher ADL.

Oral hygiene of elderly people in long‐term care institutions – a cross‐sectional study

“…Previous international studies have shown poor oral hygiene and oral health among housebound [3][4][5] and institutionalised older people [6][7][8][9][10][11] . This is even more important for people of an advanced age.…”

Recognition and behaviour of caregiver managers related to oral care in the community

“…The number of micro‐organisms in the oral cavity of the elderly is usually larger than that of young adults because of gradual reduction in basic oral function, an increased susceptibility to infection with ageing and a decrease in their ability for self‐care 3,4 . Many studies have shown a generally poor state of dental hygiene amongst the elderly, especially the dependent elderly 5,6 . Infectious diseases associated with micro‐organisms have effects on systemic diseases, such as aspiration pneumonia 7–9 , and sometimes directly lead to death 10 .…”

Salud Oral en Adultos Mayores Postrados

“…El cuidador fue, en casi la mitad de la población, la hija del AM, similar a lo reportado en otro estudio donde en su mayoría el cuidador fue de sexo femenino (Morishita et al, 2001). El nivel educacional del cuidador fue secundario, implicando un cuidador con poca educación que podría dificultar la capacidad de mantener en las mejores condiciones posibles la salud general y oral de su familiar postrado.…”