Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase
302299
Assessing oral health status of Vermont nursing home residents: Findings and implications
Monday, November 17, 2014
Martha WH Friedman, MPH
,
Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Office of Oral Health, Vermont Department of Health, Burlington, VT
Linda Greaves, RDH, BA
,
Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Office of Oral Health, Vermont Department of Health, Burlington, VT
Vermont has the second oldest population nationally, yet the burden of oral disease among older adults was unknown. National data from CDC suggests that many older adults have poor oral health and that living in nursing homes increases risk for poor oral health and its associated health outcomes. This study was conducted to assess the oral health status of Vermont nursing home residents. Site selection was through weighted random sampling; residents were selected within sites through quota sampling (N=500). Researchers used Association for State and Territorial Dental Directors’ Basic Screening Survey. Preliminary results from a pilot site (N=60) suggest that 83% of residents with natural teeth have severe gingival inflammation, 78.6% of residents needed treatment urgently or within the next several weeks, and that most nursing home staff did not understand the importance of mouth care; results across all sites are expected to be consistent due to similar population demographics. The initial findings from this study suggest that Vermont needs to adopt a systemic approach to the delivery of dental care for nursing home residents. This should include increased collaboration between medical and dental providers, community health centers, and other stakeholders, as well as increased training in oral care for nursing home staff. Like the rest of the population, dentists in Vermont are aging and the state nears a dental shortage. Consequently, access to care is expected to become more difficult. This suggests that Vermont may benefit from exploring new methods and systems of care to reach this population.
Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Other professions or practice related to public health
Program planning
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Learning Objectives:
Explain why Vermont's demographics called for an examination of the burden of oral disease among nursing home residents.
Describe the policy implications of the older adult brief screening survey (BSS)
Keyword(s): Aging, Oral Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Oral Health Program Administrator at the Vermont Department of Health and I was the principal investigator on this study. One of my scientific interests in the provision of services to at-risk populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
