The perception of oral health and oral care needs, barriers and current practices as perceived by managers and caregivers in organizations for people with disabilities in Flanders, Belgium (original) (raw)
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European Journal of Dentistry
Objective Over a billion people in the world live with some form of disability and this figure is destined to grow due to the increase in life expectancy. As consequence, the caregiver is taking on an increasingly important role that gains relevance also in the field of oral-dental prevention, being able to promptly identify needs for medical treatment. In some cases, however, the caregiver can be an obstacle to consider in case of a lack of adequate knowledge and commitment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the caregiver level of oral education comparing family members and health workers dedicated to people with disabilities knowledge. Materials and Methods Anonymous questionnaires were distributed in five disability service centers and filled alternatively by family members of patients with disability and disability service centers health workers. Results Two-hundred fifty questionnaires were collected, of which 100 were filled in by family members and 150 by health workers. D...
Access to Dental Care—A Survey from Dentists, People with Disabilities and Caregivers
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The literature highlights differences in the dental conditions of people with disabilities compared with the general population. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the dental health of people with disabilities in order to understand if their needs are met and to identify their most critical issues as per dentists. A paper and a Google Form platform were used in conducting a survey in Central Italy (the Abruzzo region), by performing an analysis on different points of view as reported by people with disabilities and dentists. The results showed that only 69.2% of dentists treat persons with disabilities. Of these, 73.5% treat less than 10 patients with physical disabilities per year. However, 54% of dentists do not treat people with cognitive impairment and a poor ability to collaborate during treatment. More than 80% of respondent dentists report that people with disabilities do not have good oral hygiene. On the other hand, 49.1% of people with disabilities (or the...
Innovation in Aging
Background and Objectives This study aimed to explore oral health perception and oral care needs, barriers, and current practices as perceived by managers and staff in long-term care organizations for older people in Flanders. Research Design and Methods This is a cross-sectional study where 2 questionnaires were developed, one for managers and one for caregivers, and were validated in Flemish long-term care organizations. Descriptive analyses and multivariable generalized linear models evaluated the main outcomes and their associations with determinants such as the size of the organization, the presence of an oral health policy, collaboration with a dentist, among others. Results A total of 145 managers and 197 caregivers completed the questionnaire. More than 50% of caregivers and managers perceived their residents’ oral health as mediocre to good. Collaboration with a dentist (B = 0.84) and oral health care involvement (B = 0.08) within the organization showed a strong associatio...
2007
Aim and objectives: To explore the views and knowledge on oral health care by caregivers working in the Bucharest residential centre, Recuperation and rehabilitee centre for persons with handicap, using a questionnaire. Design: The questionnaire was translated from Swedish into Romanian and consisted of 30 questions; 18 were closed questions with three to four alternatives, 12 were constructed as a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The questionnaire was devised to generate information in three broad areas; personal data, extent of knowledge and current practices. The questionnaire was distributed to 164 staff members by a physician and a co-author (MG). The questionnaire was answered anonymously. Of the 164 employees of the CRRPH 70 answered the questionnaire. Results: The results showed a lack of knowledge concerning oral health and factors influencing oral diseases. Knowledge of the oral health of the patients at the residential centre was limited. Further, the staff efforts to help the patients were overly optimistic. Conclusions: The results indicate a gap between knowledge and practice in caretakers toward the oral health care of multiply impaired residents. The study concludes that improvements in oral health can be encouraged by working with staff knowledge, attitudes, values and beliefs.
Importance of Oral Hygiene and Maintaining Oral Health in Persons With Disabilities
2021
This paper aims to approximate and facilitate the routine of daily oral hygiene for persons with disabilities, as well as to emphasize the importance of educating persons with disabilities and their caregivers about oral health as an essential part of overall health. Desk research of electronic databases was conducted with the aim of writing this paper, using the following keywords: ‘oral hygiene’, ‘dental plaque’, ‘oral health’ and ‘persons with disabilities’. Literature research has shown that persons with disabilities have poor oral hygiene, as well as that there is a lack of education among them and their caregivers about the importance of oral health and proper oral hygiene. Poor oral hygiene can affect a person’s quality of life due to discomfort during eating, bad breath, poor selfesteem, pain, and disturbed sleep, which is a result of caries or other diseases of the oral cavity. Maintaining oral health is an essential part of overall health.
Annali di stomatologia
To evaluate knowledge and attitude of caregivers/healthcare workers regarding oral health of special need patients, at a comprehensive rehabilitation centre. A validated self-administered structured questionnaire was used in an interview style among 120 caregivers at a comprehensive rehabilitation centre. The first part of questionnaire collected demographic information (age, gender, experience, literacy). The other part of the questionnaire was related to the knowledge and attitude of caregivers regarding importance of oral health including oral hygiene practices, cause of tooth decay, significance of fluoride, common oral problems and need for oral health education. Comparison between oral health knowledge and oral health attitude of caregivers was done using one-sample t Test. The level of significance was set as p=0.005*. Adequate oral health knowledge was found to be among 59.2% and favourable attitude of caregivers towards oral health care was found among 48.3%. The results in...
2018
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Individuals with disability usually suffer from complex oral problems and marked physical limitations, and therefore need special dental care. The dentists’ attitude and perceived educational barriers for oral health promotion among the individuals with disabilities were evaluated in the present study. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 193 dentists participating in the 54 International Congress and Exhibition of Iranian Dental Association in 2014 were invited to complete a valid and reliable questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions on attitude, satisfaction with training courses, perceived barriers to learn about oral health of patients with disabilities, age, gender, office location (city), and experience of treating patients with disabilities. The results were analyzed in SPSS software using linear regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 177 questionnaires were collected. The mean age of the participants was 35.5 (10.1) years, and 53.8% of the...
Meandros Medical and Dental Journal, 2021
Engelli bireyler, genellikle günlük ağız bakımlarını iyi yapamamaları, bakımlarından sorumlu kişilerin bilgi eksikliği ve yetersiz sağlık politikaları nedeniyle sağlıklı bireylere göre daha kötü ağız sağlığına sahiptir. Bu çalışma, Türkiye'deki en büyük bakım evinde bir grup bakım personelinin ağız sağlığı ile ilgili bilgi, uygulama ve görüşlerini değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Objective: People with disability have worse oral health than the healthy ones usually because of their inability to perform good daily oral hygiene, lack of knowledge of their caregivers and inadequate health policies. This study aimed to evaluate the oral health-related knowledge, practices and opinions of a group of caregivers in the biggest care home in Turkey. Materials and Methods: A total of 170 caregivers were requested to complete a questionnaire prior to receiving training regarding oral health. The chi-square test was used to evaluate the statistical significance. Results: Among the 322 residents with disability, 255 (79.2%) had mental disability and 64 (19.9%) had physical disability. Of the caregivers, 147 volunteered to participate (response rate 86.5%). Their mean age was 41.4 years. More than half of the caregivers (n=98, 66.6%) had been working for 5 to 14 years. Most of them (81.6%) reported that they performed oral hygiene procedures for 228 residents, and 97 (44.1%) reported that they brushed the teeth of residents three times per day. However, 102 caregivers reported that they did not know about the significance of dental plaque. Nearly two-thirds of the caregivers (n=95, 64.6%) had not previously received any education regarding oral care and 98 declared that they need training, of whom 74 requested that it should be practical. Female caregivers needed oral care training more than male caregivers. Although not statistically significant, caregivers who have been working for ≤5 years and those with at least a high school education reported more need for oral care training. The caregivers working ≤5 years had the least level of previous education on oral care. Conclusion: The caregivers need comprehensive training on oral health in the biggest care home in Turkey to be able to provide adequate oral health care for the disabled residents.
Oral health-care utilization in adults with disabilities in Belgium
European Journal of Oral Sciences, 2013
Reports on oral health-service utilization among individuals with disabilities are very sparse. Nevertheless, such data are a prerequisite for the provision of proper care and for the development of optimal reimbursement schemes and may ultimately lead to better access to care. The objective of the present study was to provide data on oral health-care utilization in Belgian residents with disabilities and to compare these data with the utilization pattern of their peers without special needs. Data from the Permanent Sample of Socially Insured Persons, an anonymous representative sample of Belgian residents, were used. The database contained prospective data on oral and general health-care utilization and socio-demographic variables from 1,221 individuals with disabilities and from 131,877 individuals without disabilities, collected from 2002 to 2008. Overall, annual dental-attendance rates were very low and in those who attended, professional debridements, a cornerstone in preventive oral health care, were infrequently recorded. In adults with disabilities, significantly fewer radiographs, restorations, and endodontic treatments were recorded, whereas significantly more emergency visits were charged. Further research is indicated to evaluate whether this outcome points to high unmet oral-treatment needs.
Healthcare, 2020
Oral health is perhaps the most neglected aspect of healthcare for persons living in rehabilitation centers, compared to the general population. The caregivers play a vital role in administering daily oral care to residents in rehabilitation centers: The aim of the present questionnaire-based study was to evaluate the caregivers’ knowledge, attitude and practices towards oral healthcare at centers for the intellectually disabled in the Southern region of Saudi Arabia (SA). The present study was designed as a cross-sectional one-point time survey. The samples were selected by using a non-probability convenience sampling method. The self-administered closed-ended questionnaire comprised of 22 items divided into four sections, which was designed to elicit the demographic information, awareness of oral care, attitude towards oral health and practice of the oral healthcare regime among the participants. Of the164 participants, 53.0% and 47.0% were male and female, respectively. Most of t...