Promoting an interdisciplinary approach towards oral maintenance care in an institution for the elderly in Malta

Abstract

The elderly people become faced with increasing difficulties in day to day care requirements. One such difficulty is in oral maintenance care. Studies have shown that a significant lack of adequate oral care may give rise to oral and dental problems and may aggravate medical problems, induce nutritional deficiencies, cause communication difficulties, while certain oral conditions may even act as a predisposing factor hindering proper oral hygiene. In this long essay, a study is being carried out to find those shortcomings in dental care observed at St. Vincent De Paule, Residence for the Elderly and propose ways how these services can be better improved. One part of the study consisted of questionnaires handed out to 100 members of staff in varying disciplines, to determine prevalent attitudes among them, regarding oral health. The second part consisted of interviewing, where possible, and examining 40 residents to see their oral health state as well as what they feel is lacking. Results have shown that adequate oral health is difficult to be maintained due to a number of reasons, such as lack of motivation, lack of human, physical and financial resources and lack of dental education prevalent among staff members and also elderly residents. Physical disabilities, mental changes and other chronic medical problems all contribute to a decrease in self-care ability and subsequently increase the risk of oral diseases. Additionally, lack of perceived need, preexisting attitudes and expectations and difficulties with transportation to the dental clinic were also considered as obstacles hindering oral care. Therefore the effectiveness of planning for dental care of older people requires an interdisciplinary approach depending on the requirements of the individual concerned. This should be considered at St. Vincent De Paule Residence, in order to focus oral health care in a more efficient manner.