Long-term effect of an oral healthcare programme on oral hygiene in a nursing home.
This article reports on the long-term effect of an oral healthcare programme aimed at improving and maintaining the oral hygiene of elderly residents in a nursing home. The method was based on (i) motivation and oral-care training of the nursing staff, (ii) production of picture-based oral-care procedure cards, (iii) distribution of adequate oral-care equipment, (iv) practical implementation of new routines, and (v) assessment of results attained. The level of oral hygiene in the nursing home was assessed using the mucosal-plaque score (MPS) index. Overall evaluation was made before the start of the study, after 3 months, and eventually after 6 yr. Before implementation of the oral healthcare programme, 36% of the residents had an acceptable score. Six years later, the proportion was 70%. The evaluation showed that the introduction of such an oral healthcare programme significantly improved the oral hygiene of the residents on a long-term basis. However, 30% of the residents did not achieve an acceptable score because they were very ill or dying, aggressive or wanted to brush their teeth themselves.
Samson
Heidi
H
Department of Clinical Dentistry - Gerodontology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. heidi.samson@iko.uib.no
Berven
Liv
L
Strand
Gunhild V
GV
D000368:Aged; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D003820:Denture Cleansers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D005459:Fluorides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006267:Health Education, Dental; D006293:Health Promotion; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009664:Norway; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D013607:Tablets; D013664:Teaching Materials; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000295:instrumentation; D014100:Toothpastes / Q000627:therapeutic use
D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D003820:Denture Cleansers; D013607:Tablets; D014100:Toothpastes; D005459:Fluorides