Beaven Anna, Marshman Zoe
University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Br Dent J. 2024 Aug 16. doi: 10.1038/s41415-024-7740-x.
Introduction Access to dental services is a growing problem for older people in the UK. The aim of this scoping review is to identify the barriers and facilitators influencing older people's ability to access oral healthcare in the UK based on the existing literature.Methods The scoping review followed the framework proposed by Levac and colleagues (2010). Peer-reviewed literature was retrieved in April 2023 from Web of Science, Medline, PsycInfo and CINAHL for the period 1973-2023. After screening, data were extracted to identify barriers and facilitators mapped to individual, organisational and policy-level factors. The themes generated were used to identify gaps in the literature and policy recommendations.Results Overall, 27 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Most studies published were from England; there was a large representation of opinion pieces. The main barriers and facilitators related to cost of services, perceptions of dentistry, availability of services and both the dental and social care workforce.Conclusion Multiple barriers exist surrounding access to dental care for older people. Various facilitators exist but not all are successful. More research needs to be carried out on older people's access to dental services in the community, particularly for the 'oldest old' and minority groups.
引言
在英国，老年人获得牙科服务正成为一个日益严重的问题。本范围综述的目的是根据现有文献，确定影响英国老年人获得口腔医疗保健能力的障碍和促进因素。
方法
本范围综述遵循了Levac及其同事（2010年）提出的框架。2023年4月，从Web of Science、Medline、PsycInfo和CINAHL数据库中检索了1973年至2023年期间的同行评审文献。筛选后，提取数据以确定与个人、组织和政策层面因素相关的障碍和促进因素。所产生的主题用于识别文献中的差距和政策建议。
结果
总体而言，27项研究符合纳入标准。大多数发表的研究来自英格兰；观点类文章占比很大。主要障碍和促进因素与服务成本、对牙科的认知、服务的可及性以及牙科和社会护理劳动力有关。
结论
老年人获得牙科护理存在多种障碍。存在各种促进因素，但并非所有都取得了成功。需要对老年人在社区获得牙科服务的情况进行更多研究，特别是针对“最年长的老年人”和少数群体。
