Oral health and oral care in short-term care: prevalence, related factors and coherence between older peoples' and professionals' assessments.
Susanne Koistinen, Lena Olai, Katri Ståhlnacke and 2 others
PMID 30859599WHAT IT FOUND
Most older people in short-term care felt satisfied with their oral health, yet dental assessments found problems in 77% of them.
The two views agreed in only 34% of cases. Relying on patient satisfaction alone misses widespread oral care needs.
Key findings
0185% of participants reported being satisfied with their oral health, but clinical assessment found oral problems in 77% of the group.
02Agreement between self-perceived oral health and professional assessment was very poor, with a kappa coefficient of 0.047 and only 34% overall agreement.
03Participants dependent on help with four to six activities of daily living had 3.4 times higher odds of having clinically assessed oral problems compared to independent participants.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample of units, limiting generalisability. Over 50% of eligible older people were excluded, primarily due to insufficient cognitive capacity or palliative care status, meaning the most frail patients are underrepresented. Self-perceived oral health was measured with a single global question, which may lack sensitivity. Data collection spanned two and a half years, introducing potential temporal variations in care practices.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Örebro County, the Regional Research Board of Uppsala-Örebro, the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare (Forte), and the Kamprad Family Foundation. No conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that patients who report satisfaction with their oral health do not need professional assessment or assistance. In this study, 85% were satisfied, yet 77% had clinically assessed oral problems, and only 21% were both satisfied and clinically free of problems.