Assisted Living Residents' Perception/Access to Care in Southern Nevada

Objectives: Oral disease preventive practices enable individuals to retain some or all of their natural dentition in their life span. The purpose of this study was to assess perceptions of oral health status and access to oral care by Clark County Assisted Living Residents.

Methods: A cross sectional observational study design was used to survey residents between ages 55 to 95 years in Assisted Living Facilities in Greater Las Vegas Clark County. Seventy respondents completed a survey including demographic, general medical condition, and access to care data. Analysis of data included descriptive statistics and frequency of responses.

Results: Less than half (n=22) of the residents reported having dental insurance, of those with dental insurance, 82% (n=18) stated that it had been over one year since last dental examination and 86% (n=19) residents reported having difficulty accessing professional dental care. Similarly, of residents reporting having no dental insurance, 90% (n=36) indicated difficulty in accessing professional oral care. Sixty-four percent (n=45) of residents reported having some or all of their teeth. Of these, 47% (n=21) have dental insurance, 55.5% (n=25) report brushing regularly and 60% (n=27) flossing regularly.

Conclusion: These data suggest that access to professional oral care may not be related to dental insurance. Based on these data assisted living residents in Clark County have difficulty accessing oral health care. The issue of access to oral care should be further investigated. Priority Care LTC Pharmacy sponsored this study.