A registry study of oral health problems and preventive interventions among older persons receiving municipal healthcare - PROSENIOR.
Malin Axelsson, Christel Bahtsevani, Merita Neziraj and 2 others
PMID 36631732WHAT IT FOUND
Most older people in municipal care with oral health risk had an intervention planned (97.4%), but fewer than half with voice, saliva or swallowing problems had related plans.
Key findings
01Among 4,024 older persons at risk for oral health problems, 97.4% had any planned intervention, and completion varied by housing, from 63.5% in home health care to 80.3% in dementia care.
02The most frequent planned interventions were tooth brushing (56.2%) and moisturizing the mouth (22.2%), while consultation with a dentist was planned for 9.7%.
03Fewer than half of older persons with voice, lips, saliva or swallowing problems had planned interventions related to those problems, except lubricating the lips (65.1%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The registry lacked medical data and had scant background data, which limits interpretation. There were missing data for interventions; listwise deletion reduced the analysed sample to 3,761 for planned interventions and 3,452 for completed interventions. Registration instructions may not have been fully followed, which may explain missing data. Planned interventions may not reflect what was actually done in practice, because under-reporting and over-reporting are possible. The cross-sectional registry design cannot show whether preventive interventions improved oral health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 97.4% planned intervention rate as proof that older people received matched or effective oral health care. This was a registry cross-sectional study, not a trial, and it found that fewer than half with voice, saliva or swallowing problems had related planned interventions.