Opinions of dentists on the barriers in providing oral health care to community-dwelling frail older people: a questionnaire survey.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent dentists in the Netherlands experience barriers in providing oral health care to community-dwelling older people.


BACKGROUND
As most publications on the barriers in providing oral health care to older people consist of surveys on oral health care in care homes, it was decided to investigate the barriers dentists experience in their own dental practices while providing oral health care to community-dwelling frail older people.


METHODS
A representative sample of 1592 of the approximately 8000 dentists in the Netherlands aged 64 or younger were invited to respond to a questionnaire online. The dentists were asked to respond to 15 opinions concerning oral healthcare provision to community-dwelling frail older people aged 75 years or more who experience problems in physical, psychological and social areas, as well as possible financial problems.


RESULTS
The total response rate was 37% (n = 595; male=76%; average age 49). The majority of those who responded agreed that the reimbursement of oral health care to older people is poor. Two thirds of those who responded (66%) agreed that there are limited opportunities to refer the frail and elderly with complex oral healthcare problems to a colleague with specific knowledge and skills.


CONCLUSIONS
Dentists experienced barriers in two domains; a lack of knowledge and practical circumstances. It was concluded that the dentist's gender, age, year of graduation and the number of patients aged 75 years or more treated weekly were in some respect, related to the barriers encountered.
Flemish-Netherlands Geriatric Oral Research Group, BENECOMO, Ghent, Belgium.|Department of Social Dentistry and Behavioural Sciences, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Pieternella C
PC
Bots-VantSpijker
Department of Social Dentistry and Behavioural Sciences, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Research and Information, Royal Dutch Dental Association (KNMT), Nieuwegein, the Netherlands.
Josef J M
JJ
Bruers
Department of Oral Biochemistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Casper P
CP
Bots
Flemish-Netherlands Geriatric Oral Research Group, BENECOMO, Ghent, Belgium.|Department of Community Dentistry and Oral Public Health, Dental School, University Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
Jacques N O
JN
Vanobbergen
Flemish-Netherlands Geriatric Oral Research Group, BENECOMO, Ghent, Belgium.|Department of Community Dentistry and Oral Public Health, Dental School, University Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
Luc M J
LM
De Visschere
Flemish-Netherlands Geriatric Oral Research Group, BENECOMO, Ghent, Belgium.|Department of Oral Function and Prosthetic Dentistry, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Cees
C
de Baat
Flemish-Netherlands Geriatric Oral Research Group, BENECOMO, Ghent, Belgium.|Caphri/Department of Family Medicine and Department Health Services Research, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Jos M G A
JM
Schols
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000191:economics; D003815:Dentists; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands
attitude; frailty; oral health care