Development of a European consensus from dentists, dental hygienists and physicians on a standard for oral health care in care‐dependent older people: an e-Delphi study

Nattida Charadram, Sabrina Maniewicz, Stefania Maggi, Mirko Petrovic, A Kossioni, Murali Srinivasan, Martin Schimmel, Philippe Mojon, Frauke Müller* (Corresponding Author), e-Delphi working group

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)
5 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to obtain a consensus on oral health policy, access to dental care, oral hygiene measures and training levels.

Background

Poor oral health is widespread in care‐dependent older people, but no consensus for a minimum standard of oral health care exists yet.

Methods

The e‐Delphi approach was applied to a selected panel of interdisciplinary experts. Data analysis was based on three measurements: (a) ≥70% of experts’ opinion fall into category “agree or strongly agree,” (b) median score on the 5‐point Likert scale ≥4, (c) interquartile range ≤1.

Results

A total of 31 experts from 17 European countries participated in this survey. Agreement was achieved for a compulsory dental examination when an elder is admitted to a long‐term care (LTC) facility. Older people should brush their teeth twice/day and regularly clean interproximal spaces and oral mucosa. Dentures should be rinsed after meals and cleaned twice/day. The use of denture cleansing tablets was considered necessary. Dentures should be removed before sleeping and stored dry. A 5000 ppm fluoride toothpaste should be applied daily in elder with high caries risk. A short report on the oral health status of the elder should be included in the geriatric assessment. All experts concluded that the knowledge and the training in oral health care for caregivers and family members of care‐dependent older people were imperative.

Conclusions

Using the e‐Delphi method, multidisciplinary healthcare professionals from different countries agreed on certain cardinal recommendations for a standard oral health care for care‐dependent older people.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)41-56
Number of pages16
JournalGerodontology
Volume38
Issue number1
Early online date18 Oct 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2021

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements:
The authors would like to thank the participants of the focus group for their precious input to develop the pilot questionnaire. This study was entirely funded by public funds, allocated to the Division of Gerodontology and removable prosthodontics of the University of Geneva. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Keywords

  • e-Delphi study
  • Oral health
  • Oral hygiene
  • Oral health care training
  • Geriatric oral care
  • Institutionalised older adults
  • Care dependent older adults
  • geriatric oral care
  • care-dependent older adults
  • institutionalised older adults
  • HOME RESIDENTS
  • MANAGEMENT
  • EFFICACY
  • DENTURE CLEANSERS
  • AMERICAN-COLLEGE
  • PLAQUE
  • ADVANCED LUNG
  • DISEASE
  • NURSING-HOME
  • FRAIL

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Development of a European consensus from dentists, dental hygienists and physicians on a standard for oral health care in care‐dependent older people: an e-Delphi study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this