Disparity between medical and dental care of institutionalised elderly in Singapore.

Elderly persons tend to give dental care a lower priority than medical care. This study examined existing arrangements for and financial support of dental and medical care to elderly persons living in 68 long-term care facilities in Singapore. The chief administrators of all the homes for the aged were interviewed regarding the provision of physical and financial access to dental and medical care for their residents. Information was verified with a random selection of their residents. Results showed that a significantly higher number of homes (93 per cent) assumed responsibility for the provision of medical care than for dental care (70.7 per cent). A significantly greater proportion of them offered in-house medical care (42.6 per cent) than in-house dental care (5.9 per cent). Financial support for payment of providers' fees, hospitalisation and the transportation costs of ambulatory visits for both medical and dental care was found to be similar but generally inadequate. Greater commitment towards improving physical and financial access to dental care for the institutionalised elderly is necessary.