Oral health status among long-term hospitalized adults: A cross sectional study.

Abstract

Background: Many Long-Term Care (LTC) patients suffer from dental neglect due to difficulties in achieving appropriate dental professional care; although oral health has important influence on the quality of life among them. Dental care of the long term institutionalized adults is often limited to emergency and first aid care and there is insufficient data regarding oral health status in this population.Objectives: To describe the oral health status of the long-term hospitalized adults. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study including clinical oral examinations was carried out among institutionalized LTC patients aged 18 and older in a geriatric - psychiatric Hospital in Israel. Main outcome measures were: edentulousness, presence of dentures, mucosal findings, number of teeth, number of functional teeth, level of dental hygiene and, dental caries. Results: Subjects’ mean age was 65 years; 31.3% of the patients were edentulous, and only 14% had partial or full dentures. Only 17.2% were caries free. Females had significantly higher number of caries cavitation than men (p=0.044). The number of caries cavitation was higher among patients with higher plaque scores (p<0.001) and when taking Clonex (p=0.018). Number of residual teeth in mouth was higher in the low plaque score group (p<0.001). Carious teeth percentage was higher among the high plaque score group (p<0.001)

Oral Status of Elderly Patients in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Systematic Review

“…Comorbidity in this population makes it especially susceptible to oral pathologies, often as a result of the medication they are taking, which increase the risk of tooth decay through alterations in saliva ow 10 . In addition, some disorders may give rise to physical, cognitive or even motivational limitations that interfere with the development and habit of practising good oral hygiene 11,15,16 .…”

“…Despite the high prevalence of oral health problems in this group of patients, little or no importance is given to this problem 10 ,. This has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to advise regarding the need to increase awareness, on a social, cultural and medical level, in term of oral health as a major component of overall health and quality of life 15 . The organisation strongly recommends that countries develop programmes to meet the needs of their elderly citizens in this respect and to research the problem of oral care in the elderly, due to an increase in the overall incidence of non-transmissible diseases 17 .…”

“…Although oral pathologies are among the most common chronic diseases and represent an important public health problem due to their prevalence and the expense of treatment 15 , there is a general but erroneous belief that oral hygiene and care are population makes it especially susceptible to oral pathologies, often as a result of the medication they are taking, which increase the risk of tooth decay through alterations in saliva ow 10 . In addition, some disorders may give rise to physical, cognitive or even motivational limitations that interfere with the development and habit.…”

“…Bilder et al 15 describe how poor oral health and limited access to oral care for older adults in long-term care facilities, as well as the lack of detailed guidelines, are a re ection of insu cient scienti c evidence concerning the dental care support techniques that can be offered 11 . This clearly does not help when attempts are made to reverse this situation.…”

“…This clearly does not help when attempts are made to reverse this situation. However, problems in oral health, ranging from dental caries to chewing problems or pain, constitute the most frequent treatment needs and are among the least successfully resolved health problems in the population group consisting of older people and the disabled individuals 15 .…”