Older people's experiences of oral health and assisted daily oral care in short-term facilities.

BACKGROUND: Older people's oral health has improved, and many retain their natural teeth throughout their life. However, their daily oral care can be more difficult because of compromised general health and the reduced capacity for self-care that often comes with old age. More knowledge is needed about how older people view their oral health and oral care. The aim of this study was to describe how older people in short-term care experience their oral health and daily oral care. METHOD: A descriptive, qualitative study was performed through interviews with 14 older people (74-95 years) recruited from short-term care units in two Swedish regions. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: The findings are described in one main category, three categories and nine sub-categories. The main category was Adapting to a changed oral condition while striving to retain independence. The first category, Wanting to manage daily oral care independently, contained three subcategories: Having always brushed my teeth without help, Being satisfied with my mouth and teeth, and Having to accept help if necessary. The second category, Acceptance of changes in oral condition, had three subcategories: Difficulty in chewing and swallowing, Difficulty with tooth brushing, and Not considering a dentist visit to be worth the cost. The third category, Barriers to receiving assistance from staff, had three subcategories: Staff lacking the time to help, Not wanting to be a burden, and Lack of confidence in staff's knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The participants were generally satisfied with their oral health despite an expressed need for dental treatment. Daily oral care was something they wanted to manage themselves, and they had a strong desire to stay independent for as long as possible. Closer collaboration between dental and health care staff is necessary in order to implement clinical practice guidelines for oral health care and increase nursing staff's attention towards older peoples' oral health.

Health counselling in dental care for expectant parents: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: Interventions during pregnancy and early childhood have been shown to impact dental health. Thus, Antenatal Care and Dental Care collaborated in an intervention called Health Counselling in Dental Care (HCDC). HCDC was offered free of charge to first-time expectant parents and was aimed at reducing the frequency of dental caries in children and their parents. However, the intervention reached less than 50% of the parents. The aim of this study was to explore facilitators of, barriers to, and suggestions for increased participation in HCDC. METHODS: Data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with expectant parents. Participants were purposively sampled based on having been invited to HCDC and to achieve a variation in socio-demographics. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using conventional qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: In total, 16 interviews were conducted (10 women, 6 men). Six categories representing three facilitators and three barriers for participation emerged. The facilitators were the midwife's crucial role for disseminating information about HCDC and motivating participation, that the parents perceived HCDC as valuable for themselves and their offspring, and a desire for new or more knowledge. The barriers included a shortage of information regarding the counselling, a perceived lack of value for the parents and offspring, and the timing of the counselling during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: The midwives were crucial in providing information and motivation for HCDC participation. To increase attendance, sufficient information regarding the benefits of counselling is required, and the timing needs to be flexible and family-centred.

Oral health-related quality of life and associated factors among older people in short-term care.

OBJECTIVES: It is well known that oral health status is associated with oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in the general population. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse OHRQoL among older people in short-term care and its associated factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 391 older people in 36 short-term care units. Data were collected via clinical oral assessments, questions about self-perceived oral and general health, Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living (Katz-ADL) and the Revised Oral Assessment Guide (ROAG). OHRQoL was measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Multivariate logistic regression models were applied in the analysis. RESULTS: Poor OHRQoL was reported by 34% of the older people. Associated factors were swallowing problems according to ROAG; quite poor/poor self-perceived physical, psychological and oral health; and being a woman. CONCLUSIONS: There is an association between OHRQoL and older people's self-perceived health according to the OHIP-14. This indicates the importance of early detection of oral health problems in frail older people and to assess both oral health and swallowing problems among older people in short-term care.

Older people with swallowing dysfunction and poor oral health are at greater risk of early death.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the associations between swallowing dysfunction, poor oral health and mortality among older people in intermediate care in Sweden. METHODS: This prospective cohort study investigated 391 older people in 36 intermediate care units (clusters). Swallowing function was assessed with the timed water swallow test (TWST), and oral health with the revised oral assessment guide (ROAG) at baseline. Data were collected on age, sex, education level, multimorbidity, cognitive impairment, care dependency and body mass index (BMI). Time to mortality was recorded during the following year. The mixed effects Cox regression model with cluster as a random factor was used to estimate hazards ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: The median age of the participants was 84 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 11), and 53.3% were females. Mortality within one year was 25.1%. In the adjusted model, swallowing dysfunction and poor oral health were both independently associated with mortality (adjusted HR [aHR]: 1.67, 95% CI 1.02-2.75; P = .041 and aHR: 1.98, 95% CI 1.07-3.65; P = .029, respectively). Participants with combined swallowing dysfunction and poor oral health showed the highest mortality (35.0%) and 2.6 (95% CI 1.15-5.89; P = .022) times higher mortality risk than those with normal swallowing function and good oral health (13.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Swallowing dysfunction and poor oral health were identified as independent risk factors for mortality in older people in intermediate care. Although further studies are required to verify these findings, they suggest that systematic assessment of swallowing function and oral health status should be performed for care considerations.

Oral health and oral care in short-term care: prevalence, related factors and coherence between older peoples' and professionals' assessments.

BACKGROUND: Oral health is important for well-being and overall health. Older peoples' oral health is well described in the residential care context, but remains understudied in short-term care. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe oral health, daily oral care and related factors among older people in short-term care and to compare self-perceived oral health with professional assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 391 older people in 36 short-term units in 19 Swedish municipalities. Oral health was assessed professionally by clinical oral assessment and the Revised Oral Assessment Guide (ROAG). The older peoples' perceptions of their own oral health were measured with a global question on self-perceived oral health. Self-care ability was assessed with Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living (Katz-ADL). RESULTS: Mean age was 82.9 years, 19% of participants were totally edentulous, and 43% had ≥20 teeth. Almost 60% had coating or food debris on their teeth, but only 19% received help with daily oral care. Those who were dependent on help with self-care had around a sixfold higher risk of having oral problems. There was a low level of agreement between the clinical assessment based on ROAG and self-perceived oral health. CONCLUSION: Professionals' assessments of oral health differed considerably from the older peoples' own assessments. A higher risk of oral problems and more occurrence of coating or food debris or broken teeth were seen among those dependent on help with self-care (ADL). This study indicates that in order to improve older peoples' oral health and oral care we need to provide person-centred oral care and to develop a close collaboration between nursing and dental staff.

Study protocol for the SOFIA project: Swallowing function, Oral health, and Food Intake in old Age: a descriptive study with a cluster randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Extensive studies have shown that older people are negatively impacted by impaired eating and nutrition. The abilities to eat, enjoy food, and participate in social activities associated with meals are important aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and recovery after illness. This project aims to (i) describe and analyze relationships between oral health and oral HRQoL, swallowing ability, eating ability, and nutritional risk among older individuals admitted to short-term care; (ii) compare the perceptions that older individuals and staff report on care quality related to oral hygiene and eating; and (iii) study the feasibility and effects of a training program for people with impaired swallowing (i.e., dysphagia). METHODS/DESIGN: This project consists of two parts, which will be performed in five Swedish counties. It will include approximately 400 older individuals and 200 healthcare professionals. Part 1 is a cross-sectional, descriptive study of older people admitted to short-term care. Subjects will be assessed by trained professionals regarding oral health status, oral HRQoL, eating and nutritional risk, and swallowing ability. Swallowing ability will be measured with a teaspoon test and a swallowing capacity test (SCT). Furthermore, subjects and staff will complete a questionnaire regarding their perceptions of care quality. Part 2 is a cluster randomized intervention trial with controls. Older participants with dysphagia (i.e., SCT <10 ml/s, measured in part 1) will be recruited consecutively to either the intervention or control group, depending on where they were admitted for short-term care. At baseline, all subjects will be assessed for oral health status, oral HRQoL, eating and nutritional risk, swallowing ability, and swallowing-related QoL. Then, the intervention group will receive 5 weeks of training with an oral screen for neuromuscular training focused on orofacial and pharyngeal muscles. After completing the intervention, and at six months post-intervention, all assessments will be repeated in both study groups. DISCUSSION: The results will make important contributions to rehabilitation knowledge, including approaches for improving swallowing function, oral health, and food intake and for improving the quality of oral care for older people. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, on July 4, 2016, identifier: NCT02825927 .