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Oral Health Care Education for Nursing Home Caregivers

An Evidence-Based Practice

This practice has been Archived and is no longer maintained.

Description

This oral health care educational intervention teaches caregivers in nursing homes proper oral health care techniques. Institutionalized elderly people frequently have poor oral health, due to inadequate knowledge about oral health care, and the dependence on caregivers' assistance with all aspects of personal hygiene care. During a one-hour session, a licensed health promoter teaches caregivers about oral health and demonstrates how to clean dentures and natural teeth. Participants are able to practice cleaning techniques using mannequins, models, and other teaching aids. The program also distributes toothbrushes to all clients to encourage oral hygiene.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this educational program was to improve the quality of oral health care nursing home residents received from their caregivers.

Impact

This study shows that oral health care education can improve caregivers' knowledge, attitudes and oral health care delivery for elderly clients.

Results / Accomplishments

The educational intervention was evaluated using a cluster-randomized controlled trial comparing the oral health of residents in intervention nursing homes to a control group. After the oral health care education, the intervention group had significantly lower denture plaque scores when compared to the control group at 1-month (1.66 vs. 2.82, p < 0.001) and 6-month follow-ups (1.61 vs. 3.09, p < 0.001). Denture-induced stomatitis prevalence was significantly reduced over 6 months when compared to the control group (p < 0.0001). The intervention group had significantly lower dental plaque scores at both follow-ups (1.69 vs. 2.08 at 1-month, and 1.87 vs. 2.18 at 6-months, p's < 0.001) and significantly lower gingivitis scores at the 6-month follow-up (1.08 vs. 1.36, p < 0.001).

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Bristol Dental Hospital
Primary Contact
Heather Frenkel
Topics
Health / Oral Health
Health / Older Adults
Organization(s)
Bristol Dental Hospital
Source
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology
Date of publication
Aug 2001
Location
UK
For more details
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11515643
Target Audience
Older Adults

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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