University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine, Las Vegas, NV 89106-4124, USA.
Gerodontology. 2012 Jun;29(2):e150-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2010.00434.x. Epub 2010 Nov 17.
Oral health is an integral component of general health, and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of oral health status and acces\s to dental care by Southern Nevada Assisted Living Facilities Residents.
A cross-sectional questionnaire study design was used to survey residents between 34 and 99 years old residing in Assisted Living Facilities. Seventy respondents (42 males and 28 females) completed a survey that included personal oral hygiene, access to care, and demographic information. Data analyses included descriptive statistics and chi-square.
Mean age was 75.78 years, and the majority had a college education (n = 41). Four currently smoked cigarettes. Twenty-nine (males = 14; females = 15) reported having dental insurance. Eleven respondents had seen a dentist twice a year, while 33 reported a visit less than 6 months. Forty-one reported the facility did not provide oral health care with majority (n = 64) indicating that accessing oral health care was difficult. Self-rated response to oral hygiene, a majority (n = 64) reported their oral hygiene as fair and five reported their oral hygiene as poor.
Assisted living residents in Southern Nevada reported difficulty accessing dental services within and outside of the facility. Oral care models to address this unique population should be explored.
口腔健康是整体健康和生活质量的一个组成部分。本研究的目的是确定内华达州南部辅助生活设施居民对口腔健康状况和获得口腔保健的看法。
采用横断面问卷调查设计，对 34 至 99 岁居住在辅助生活设施中的居民进行调查。70 名受访者（42 名男性和 28 名女性）完成了一项调查，其中包括个人口腔卫生、获得护理的机会以及人口统计信息。数据分析包括描述性统计和卡方检验。
平均年龄为 75.78 岁，大多数人受过大学教育（n = 41）。目前有 4 人吸烟。29 人（男性 = 14 人；女性 = 15 人）报告有牙齿保险。11 名受访者每年看牙医两次，而 33 名受访者报告看牙医不到 6 个月。41 人报告设施不提供口腔保健，大多数（n = 64）表示获得口腔保健困难。自我报告的口腔卫生反应，大多数（n = 64）表示他们的口腔卫生状况一般，5 人表示他们的口腔卫生状况较差。
内华达州南部的辅助生活居民报告在设施内外获得牙科服务存在困难。应探索针对这一独特人群的口腔保健模式。
