title: [Dental care and oral hygiene practices in long-term geriatric care institutions].
abstract: This study evaluated the activities of dentists, dental care and oral hygiene practices in the long-term care institutions of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais, Brazil). A semi-structured questionnaire was handed out to the coordinators of 37 philanthropic and 30 private institutions. The data was compared by the chi-square and Fisher's Exact Tests. 81% of the questionnaires were answered. The majority of the private (74.2%) and philanthropic institutions (87%) do not have a dentist (p=0.21). The location, period of existence, type institution kind and number of residents weren't factors regarding the presence of a dentist (p>0.05). 67% of the philanthropic institutions with equipped consultation rooms had dentists, though there were none when there was no consultation room. Even without consultation rooms, 13% of the private institutions had dentists. When necessary, 69.6% of the philanthropic institutions refer the elderly to public health centers, while 58.1% of the private institutions refer them to their family dentists. A higher percentage of the private institutions adopted systematic oral hygiene procedures (p=0.01), with a considerable divergence of treatment reported. There is a need to include a dentist on the health staff in the institutions and for systematization of oral hygiene practices.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Odontologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, MG, 39401-089, Brazil. ferreira_rc@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Raquel Conceição
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Carolina Wolff
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Schwambach
authors.forename: Cláudia Silami
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: de Magalhães
authors.forename: Allyson Nogueira
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Moreira
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*