(Lack of) oral hygiene care for hospitalized elderly patients (original) (raw)
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Observations of oral hygiene care interventions provided by nurses to hospitalized older people
Geriatric Nursing, 2017
Dependent older hospitalized patients rely on nurses to assist them with the removal of plaque from their teeth, dentures, and oral cavities. Oral care interventions by 25 nurses on post-acute units, where patients have longer hospital stays, were observed during evening care. In addition to efforts to engage patients in oral care, nurses provided the following interventions: (a) supporting the care of persons with dentures; (b) supporting the care of natural teeth; (c) cleansing the tongue and oral cavity; and (d) moisturizing lips and oral tissues. Patients' oral hygiene care was supported in just over one-third of encounters. Denture care was inconsistently performed, and was infrequently followed by care of the oral cavity. Nurses did not encourage adequate self-care of natural teeth by patients, and infrequently moisturized tissues. Evidence-based oral hygiene care standards are required to assist nurses to support patients in achieving optimal oral hygiene outcomes.
Impact of The Nurses on Maintaining Oral Health in Institutionalized Elderly
2021
Dental and oral care are important for institutionalized elderly because oral diseases can have a negative impact not only onquality of life but also on general health. Maintaining adequate oral hygiene among the institutionalized elderly is most important,especially on patients that need help for basic or additional oral and dental care. Most often responsible for maintaining oral hygiene are the persons responsible for long-term care of the institutionalized elderly - nurses and paramedics. The education of stuff responsible for institutionalized elderly includes the usage of appropriate lectures with adequate audiovisual effects,appropriate presentations and exercises and discussions among the participants. For adequate dental care of the institutionalized elderly, it is necessary for the elderly, as well as the staff responsible for their care, to be highly aware and motivated to pay enough attention to oral health and hygiene, as well as wearing dentures. Oral health programs a...
Oral hygiene and the need for treatment of the dependent institutionalised elderly
Gerodontology, 2006
Oral hygiene and the need for treatment of the dependent institutionalised elderly Objective: To assessing the oral hygiene and treatment needs of a geriatric institution in southern France. Background: For various reasons, the care demand from elderly people is low and difficult to determine, whereas their oral status would need long and complicated treatments. Materials and methods: From 2003 to 2004, a cross-sectional study of 321 elderly patients was conducted at several geriatric services of Montpellier, France. The clinical evaluation of dental status was recorded together with medical information. Dental and prosthetic hygiene, status of dentures, caries experience, dependence conditions and treatment needs were evaluated. Results: The prevalence of edentulism was 27%, with no gender difference (23% of the men and 29% of the women). Among them, 16.7% (upper jaw) and 18.1% (lower jaw) were totally edentulous with no denture. The mean number of decayed and missing teeth was 3.7 for men and 2.8 for women and 21.5 for men and 21.0 for women, respectively. The mean number of filled teeth was 0.8 for men and 1.3 for women, with no statistical difference according to gender for the three indexes. Most of the subjects needed prostheses (53%), 45.1% extractions and 30.6% conservative treatments. Only 2.4% did not need any treatment. Conclusion: The prevalence of edentulism was relatively low, while the need for prosthodontic rehabilitation, especially for men, was still very high. The dental hygiene was globally inadequate. This evaluation emphasises the care demand and the need for help in oral hygiene procedures for the dependent institutionalised elderly.
A concept analysis of oral hygiene care in dependent older adults
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2013
Aim. To report a concept analysis of oral hygiene care. Background. Oral hygiene care, as it is provided to older patients in hospital and long-term care settings by nurses and their delegates, has the potential to contribute to the oral health of patients while preventing aspiration pneumonia as well as periodontitis, which itself has been associated with several systemic diseases. However, the state of oral cleanliness in such patients tends to be poor and despite the existence of guidelines, nursing care practices may be inadequate and not reflective of recent advances in knowledge. Design. Concept analysis. Data sources. A search of electronic databases (2002-2012), use of internet search engines, and hand searching yielded an international data set of 66 research studies, reviews, and practice guidelines. Review methods. The concept analysis method of Walker and Avant was used to explore the concept of oral hygiene care in the context of frail older patients. Results. Oral hygiene care involves approaches informed by knowing the patient, inspecting the oral cavity, removing plaque, cleansing the oral tissues, decontaminating the oral cavity, using fluoride products and maintaining oral tissue moisture. Those attributes, along with their antecedents and consequences, form a conceptual framework from which a middle-range theory of nurseadministered oral hygiene care is derived that could be tested, evaluated, modified, and translated into practice. Conclusions. Clarity around the concept of oral hygiene care as a nursing intervention could enable nurses to impact oral health outcomes and possibly prevent systemic diseases in older patients.
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 2011
Ageing of the population is a worldwide concern, owing to the growing number of elderly people with disabilities as a result of comorbidity. During the last years of their lives, many elders suffer from physical, psychological and cognitive complaints (compression of morbidity). In Flanders (Belgium), about 65 000 persons (15%) older than 75 reside in long-term care institutions and 80 000 (20%) receive home supportive domiciliary care. Based on data reported in 1999, 40% of these residents have a low or moderate scale of functional dependency, with 60% nearly totally or totally dependent (1). It is well known that elderly people, especially those residing in long-term care facilities, have a high risk of oral disease, which directly influences their quality of life and lifestyle. The negative impact of poor oral health on general health and quality of life in older adults is an important public health issue
Oral hygiene of elderly people in long-term care institutions ? a cross-sectional study
Gerodontology, 2006
Oral hygiene of elderly people in long-term care institutions -a cross-sectional study Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the level of oral hygiene in elderly people living in long-term care institutions and to investigate the relationship between institutional and individual characteristics, and the observed oral cleanliness. Materials and methods: Clinical outcome variables, denture plaque and dental plaque were gathered from 359 older people (14%) living in 19 nursing homes. Additional data were collected by a questionnaire filled out by all health care workers employed in the nursing homes. Results: Only 128 (36%) residents had teeth present in one or both dental arches. About half of the residents (47%) wore complete dentures. The mean dental plaque score was 2.17 (maximum possible score ¼ 3) and the mean denture plaque score was 2.13 (maximum possible score ¼ 4). Significantly more plaque was observed on the mucosal surface of the denture with a mean plaque score of 2.33 vs. 1.93 on the buccal surface (p < 0.001). In the multiple analyses only the degree of dependency on an individual level was found to be significantly correlated with the outcome dental plaque (odds ratio: 3.09) and only the management of the institution with denture plaque (odds ratio: 0.43). Conclusion: Oral hygiene was poor, both for dentures and remaining teeth in residents in long-term care institutions and only the degree of dependency of the residents and the management of the institutions was associated with the presence of dental plaque and denture plaque respectively.
Perception of Caregivers on Health and Oral Hygiene Care of Institutionalized Impaired Elderly
International journal of odontostomatology, 2016
This study assessed the perception of caregivers on oral health of institutionalized impaired elderly, and the care provided for them in oral hygiene and prosthetic rehabilitation. A descriptive observational study was developed with caregivers of 32 institutionalized impaired elderly, in the state of Sergipe, Brazil. Data collection was performed by interviewing the caregivers, researching records of the Institution, and by clinical examination of the oral cavity of the elderly during a period between the months of March and May, 2013. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics of absolute frequency (n) and relative frequency (%). All of the elderly presented partial (50 %) or total (50 %) tooth losses, and only 28.1 % wore removable denture. The prosthetic devices and remaining teeth of the elderly were cleaned with only toothbrush and toothpaste (100 %), with different daily frequencies among caregivers and no dentist instruction. The majority of caregivers was satisfied with the oral hygiene of the elderly (75 %) and the oral hygiene method (96.9 %) used, and showed no interest in learning new methods (81.3 %). The caregivers have an inadequate perception on oral health of the elderly population investigated, and oral hygiene care provided to the elderly is precarious. KEY WORDS: dental assistance for the elderly, caregivers, oral hygiene, long stay institution for the elderly, oral health.