For many residents of long-term care facilities regular oral hygiene
is a problem, according to a recent UBC study of Lower Mainland
nursing homes.
A team of three researchers from the areas of oral health sciences,
nursing and health services and policy research found that staff
cited lack of time and training and resistance from residents, including
biting, as reasons for inattention to oral hygiene.
Facility workers had trouble squeezing oral hygiene into an already
demanding routine of changing bed linen and clothing, assisting
residents to the bathroom and bathing.
“The minimal standards of oral health care are not widely enforced,”
says researcher Michael MacEntee, a professor in the Dept. of Oral
Health Sciences.
The provincial government requires dental services be available
to all residents of nursing homes. Services may include mobile equipment
or an on-site clinic room.
Four of the facilities studied by the researchers made no provision
for regular dental treatment on site; three had a fully-equipped
dental clinic; and the remainder had mobile dental equipment, a
dental chair or access to a dentist with mobile equipment.
The researchers found that while no one model of oral health care
was superior, the philosophy and people skills of management influenced
success more than budget and training.
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