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A study to determine oral health needs of institutionalised elderly patients by non dental health care workers
Author(s) -
HoadReddick Gillian
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0528.1991.tb00153.x
Subject(s) - medicine , dentures , oral hygiene , normative , oral health , dental care , hygiene , residential care , family medicine , dentistry , gerontology , philosophy , epistemology , pathology
In this survey normative need as assessed by an examining dentist and the subject's own perceived need are compared with need assessed by untrained care workers. A method for simple assessment of elderly people on admission to day centres or elderly peoples' residential homes is described and its efficiency in use assessed during a survey of 41 subjects. Results suggest that use of a simple questionnaire can alert carers to problems requiring dental care – oral hygiene regimens can then be improved, dentures named and dentists called to provide treatment. Too often this type of initial assessment is neglected.