Oral health champions in long‐term care facilities—a pilot study

Abstract

This preintervention/postintervention pilot study examined impact of onsite support by a dental hygiene champion (DHC) on oral health and quality of life (QOL) of elderly residents in three long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Arkansas. Oral health and oral health-related QOL were operationalized using the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) and Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), respectively. CNAs in Facility A received standardized oral health education/materials with onsite DHC support. Facility B received education/materials only. Facility C served as control. Data analyses included Wilcoxon-signed rank tests (OHAT) and repeated measures ANOVA (GOHAI) (p ≤ .05). OHAT postintervention data in Facility A showed significant improvements in three measured areas (tongue health, denture status, and oral cleanliness); in Facility B, one area (tongue health); and none in Facility C. No significant differences were found in GOHAI scores across facilities. Findings suggest that the presence of DHCs in LTCFs may positively impact the oral health of CNA-assisted residents.

Revisiting the status of oral health services in adult PM&R programs: a 40‐year follow‐up survey

“…Even with the clear need for future research into these issues, actions can be implemented now based upon the findings from these two questionnaire surveys and the large number of oral health status surveys of disabled individuals in the United States . Given the access difficulties to oral health care that many PM&R in‐patients face upon discharge from their PM&R hospitalization, the quality of their lives can be improved if during their multimonth PM&R hospitalization their own backlog of needed dental care can be attended to during their PM&R hospitalization as a fully integrated PM&R service along with the existing array of PM&R services provided for them.…”

“…The dual purposes of this project were: (1) to discern the current expert medical opinion and practices in 2014 regarding the provision of oral health services available to the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) patients, during their stay in PM&R units of hospitals, and as well as after their discharge; and, (2) to compare these current findings with the findings from a survey conducted 40 years prior in 1974 using the same survey questionnaire. While there is an identifiable literature on the oral health status of handicapped and/or disabled adults living either in institutions or at‐large in the community in the United States, all articles report that the oral health status for these adults ranges from bad to horrid, with a notable lack of access to dental care. As based upon a current full‐literature search by a university‐based biomedical librarian, only a single published article exists on the specific topic of oral health services in PM&R programs and that was the article that presented the findings from our group's 1974 survey .…”

Theoretical and hands‐on guidance from dental hygienists promotes good oral health in elderly people living in nursing homes, a pilot study

“…Educational sessions by dental hygienists to nursing staff as well as short‐term professional oral care from dental hygienists once a week have shown only limited effects . A pilot study suggested that on‐site dental hygienist support in long‐term care facilities may positively impact the oral health of residents requiring assistance with their oral care and that further research in such a concept is required …”

Does enhancing personal care assistants’ own oral health influence their attitudes and practices towards oral care for residents – a pilot study

“…A number of studies suggest that the personal attitudes and values of PCAs related to oral hygiene remain one of the most significant barriers to residents receiving adequate oral health assistance . Barriers to providing daily oral care reported by PCAs include the lack of time, a perceived lack of support by facility management, lack of knowledge or training for care staff , residents refusal or psychological barriers to perform oral hygiene care in a resident's mouth .…”