De Vleeschauwer Aster, Poppe Louise, Colman Roos, Janssens Barbara
Department of Oral Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Trials. 2025 Jan 20;26(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s13063-025-08728-7.
Most oral diseases benefit from early detection by dental professionals. However, in the older population, regular dental attendance is low. This trial investigates whether a low-threshold check-up by a dental professional in a non-dental setting can motivate older persons to seek professional oral care.
A total of 194 community-dwelling persons aged 65 years and older, without a dental check-up over the last 12 months, will be recruited for this randomized, controlled, two-arm, single-blinded, superiority trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio. The intervention group will receive an oral examination including tailored oral health information. They will also be informed about the importance of regular dental visits and will be provided with referral letters for the dental professional and the family physician and a list of nearby dentists. In the control group, the oral examination including tailored information will not be performed. This group will only receive flyers with general oral hygiene information and a list of nearby dentists. The primary outcome is whether or not the participants will contact a dental professional within four months after the intervention.
This study examines the efficacy of a low-threshold dental check-up intervention to motivate older adults to contact a dental professional and reactivate them into primary oral care, addressing barriers to oral care such as low health literacy, subjective treatment need, and dental anxiety. Key strategies include enhancing oral health knowledge, identifying existing oral issues, and involving family physicians. The study, set to run from April 2024 to March 2025, aims to inform future evidence-based oral health promotion strategies for community-dwelling older adults.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06341959. Registered on 25 April 2024.
大多数口腔疾病通过牙科专业人员的早期检测会受益。然而，在老年人群中，定期看牙的比例较低。本试验旨在研究在非牙科环境中由牙科专业人员进行的低门槛检查能否促使老年人寻求专业口腔护理。
本随机对照双臂单盲优效性试验将按1:1的分配比例招募194名年龄在65岁及以上、过去12个月内未进行过牙科检查的社区居民。干预组将接受包括量身定制的口腔健康信息在内的口腔检查。他们还将被告知定期看牙的重要性，并将获得给牙科专业人员和家庭医生的转诊信以及附近牙医的名单。对照组将不进行包括量身定制信息在内的口腔检查。该组仅会收到有关一般口腔卫生信息的传单和附近牙医的名单。主要结局是参与者在干预后四个月内是否会联系牙科专业人员。
本研究考察了低门槛牙科检查干预措施促使老年人联系牙科专业人员并重新启动其接受初级口腔护理的有效性，解决了诸如健康素养低、主观治疗需求和牙科焦虑等口腔护理障碍。关键策略包括增强口腔健康知识、识别现有的口腔问题以及让家庭医生参与。该研究计划于2024年4月至2025年3月进行，旨在为社区居住的老年人提供未来基于证据的口腔健康促进策略。
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06341959。于2024年4月25日注册。
