Increase Preventive Oral Care to At-Risk Adults

Increase Preventive Oral Care to Most At-Risk Adults

Having dedicated my life to preventive oral care, peer-reviewed articles on the impact of preventive care for at risk seniors continues to peak my interest. After reviewing many articles, two of them in particular caught my attention; Investing in preventive care for the Medicare Population (Moeller, Chen, and Manski, 2010) and Prevalence and Demographic Correlates of Tooth Loss among the Elderly in the United States (Marcus, Kaste, and Brown, 1998). There are many barriers to dental care in the United States; income, education, geography (rural/urban), disability status, age and culture, to name a few. Based on research of our aging population, the most at-risk populations to target for preventive services are “those with the least education and income.”1

Across the board, this segment of the aging population is found to have the highest edentulous rate, regardless of other factors. To increase access to preventive care for this population, increasing dental coverage through Medicare is one proposed solution. Not only can this measure improve the oral health of older adults, it can also lead to the reduction of expensive restorative or emergency treatment.2

1 Prevalence and demographic correlates of tooth loss among the elderly in the United States.
Marcus SE, Kaste LM, Brown LJ.
Spec Care Dentist. 1994 May-Jun;14(3):123-7.PMID: 7871473 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

2 Investing in Preventive Dental Care for the Medicare Population: A Preliminary Analysis.
Moeller JF, Chen H, Manski RJ.
Am J Public Health. 2010 Sep 23. [Epub ahead of print]PMID: 20864712 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Physically or Cognitively Impaired Patient Care Success: Carer Involvement

Direct involvement of the carer in health care delivery is an important aspect of comprehensive care. Not only can pertinent information about the client be provided, but the continuance of patient care may be positively impacted.

Since the mid-90s, I've had the carer accompany their client or loved one into the treatment room to enhance patient communication, participate in the assessment phase, and assist during treatment, as needed. Otherwise, a disconnect occurs between professional care and daily care assistance of the client. This results in disease development and progression. By including the carer, as well as other health professionals, a true multidiciplinary health care team can be accomplished.