Needs in Service Provision for Oral Health Care in Older People: A Comparison Between Greater Manchester (United Kingdom) and Utrecht (the Netherlands)

Abstract

Retaining natural teeth for longer, together with increasing care dependency in the elderly, has the potential to hamper adequate oral self-care and service provision. The aim of this qualitative study was to compare and contrast views from a multi-stakeholder perspective on the future priorities for oral health care services of older people in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. A participatory setting partnership was undertaken with 4 key stakeholder groups in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. A final consensus group considered collective responses. The views of the different groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically. Two main themes derived: "individual well-being" and "underlying principles of service provision." Codes relating to principles of service provision focused on the importance of developing quality criteria, improving access, prevention and screening, awareness raising, education and training, together with multidisciplinary care. In both countries, oral health was seen as an important element of "individual well-being," and a number of "principles of service provision" were suggested. This contrasts with the current lack of evidence-based treatments and quality criteria that are available for dependent older people.

Understanding oral health from the point of view of adults with disabilities and/or complex medical conditions: A scoping review

“…The participants presented various medical conditions and disabilities. Ten qualitative studies were found for individuals with cognitive or physical impairment, [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] six for people with mental illness, [46][47][48][49][50][51] five for elderly persons with comorbidities, [24][25][26][27][28] three for adults with dementia, [31][32][33] two for persons who had received head and neck cancer treatment, 44,45 two for individuals in palliative care, 52,53 one for adults with cardiovascular disease, 30 , one for stroke survivors. 29 The data extracted did not bring to light similarities or differences between the population subgroups.…”

Impact of older adults' oral health on caregiving stress of their family caregivers in the United States: The mediating effect of functional ability

“…Oral health of older adult CRs is an important objective stressor for family caregivers, which need to be aware of and pay specific attention to in practice. Fortunately, some older adults themselves recognised the importance of daily oral healthcare and asked help from caregivers when they were not able to do it themselves (Everaars et al, 2015). Actions and resources to improve the oral health of older adults also need to be in place because of its potential in lowering caregiving stress and leading to an improved quality of life and quality of the care provided by family caregivers.…”

The Dutch version of the Oral Health Assessment Tool: Translation and inter‐rater reliability among community nurses

“…4,5 Consequently, oral healthcare remains a neglected part of nursing care in nursing homes, hospitals, and community care. [6][7][8][9] Oral health care is important to prevent the development of complex oral diseases and dental problems. 10 Worldwide, 56%-85% of older people suffer from inflammations of the gums and surrounded tissues (periodontal diseases).…”

“…Furthermore, the availability of assessment tools, intervention sets, and routes to refer to experts are not implemented in daily nursing practices 4,5 . Consequently, oral healthcare remains a neglected part of nursing care in nursing homes, hospitals, and community care 6–9 …”