Webb Bettine C, Whittle Terry, Schwarz Eli
Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
School of Dentistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Gerodontology. 2016 Sep;33(3):363-72. doi: 10.1111/ger.12170. Epub 2015 Mar 18.
To determine the perceptions of dental care held by the residents in aged care facilities (ACFs) in New South Wales (NSW) and to compare these perceptions with clinical observations.
No specific data exist relating to NSW residents' perceptions of dental care compared with a clinical examination. Planning for appropriate oral health programs in ACFs necessitate such data.
Four Area Health Services of Sydney and 25 low care ACFs were selected from which representative residents were sampled who completed a survey and underwent a basic dental examination.
Of the subjects (25 males, 96 females), 76.9% had never received a dental visit as entering the ACF; 14.1% suffered from dental pain; 69.4% wore dentures and of these 18.3% required assistance in cleaning. Dentures were cleaned twice/day in 54.9% of cases. Natural teeth were reported present in 71.9% of residents, and 85.1% did not require assistance in cleaning. Appropriate dental care facilities and dry mouth were most frequent problems highlighted. Clinical examinations showed that 69% were denture wearers; oral hygiene and denture hygiene were considered good in 15.7% of cases. A high level of concordance existed between self-reports and examination.
Increased awareness about oral health across leadership, caregivers and residents with appropriate dental health education and dedicated space within facilities would provide a much needed improvement for addressing oral health issues of the ACF residents. This might be the right time to plan for the future challenges that will need to be met by the NSW care system.
确定新南威尔士州老年护理机构（ACF）居民对牙科护理的看法，并将这些看法与临床观察结果进行比较。
与临床检查相比，目前尚无关于新南威尔士州居民对牙科护理看法的具体数据。为老年护理机构制定适当的口腔健康计划需要此类数据。
从悉尼的四个地区卫生服务机构和25家低护理型老年护理机构中选取有代表性的居民进行抽样，这些居民完成了一项调查并接受了基本的牙科检查。
在这些受试者（25名男性，96名女性）中，76.9%的人在进入老年护理机构时从未看过牙医；14.1%的人患有牙痛；69.4%的人佩戴假牙，其中18.3%的人在清洁假牙时需要帮助。54.9%的案例中假牙每天清洁两次。71.9%的居民报告有天然牙，85.1%的人在清洁天然牙时不需要帮助。合适的牙科护理设施和口干是最常被提及的问题。临床检查显示，69%的人佩戴假牙；15.7%的案例中口腔卫生和假牙卫生状况良好。自我报告与检查结果之间存在高度一致性。
通过对领导层、护理人员和居民进行适当的口腔健康教育，并在机构内提供专门空间，提高对口腔健康的认识，将为解决老年护理机构居民的口腔健康问题带来急需的改善。现在可能是为新南威尔士州护理系统未来需要应对的挑战制定计划的合适时机。
