Background: Oral health management involving dental professionals in a multidisciplinary Nutritional Support Team (NST) is effective collaborative care. However, the indicators for the triage of oral health management requirements and selection of oral healthcare providers remain unclear.
Objective: This cross-sectional study included inpatients with malnutrition and aimed to investigate the factors associated with determining the need for oral health management involving dental professionals and selecting primary oral healthcare providers when needed.
Methods: Participants included 255 inpatients (154 males and 101 females, mean age 69.7 ± 14.4 years) aged ≥20 years who underwent oral assessment by the NST between April 2016 and July 2019. Participants were assigned to the following groups: good oral health group, oral health management by nurses under the supervision of dental professionals group, and oral health management by dental professionals group. The comprehensive oral health status was investigated using the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT). The total OHAT score ranges from 0 to 16, with a higher score indicating a poorer oral environment.
Results: The total OHAT score had a significant correlation with the need for oral health management by dental professionals. Inpatients with denture problems required oral health management from dental professionals. The optimal cutoff value of the total OHAT score for determining the need for oral health management was four.
Conclusion: The need for oral health management by dental professionals increased with worsening oral health status, especially denture problems. The OHAT score could be used to triage inpatients who require oral health management collaborated with dental professionals.
Keywords: cross-sectional studies; inpatients; malnutrition; mouth diseases; nutritional support; oral health.
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