Dental care for older adults in home health care services - practices, perceived knowledge and challenges among Norwegian dentists and dental hygienists

Marte-Mari Uhlen-Strand; Ewa Alicja Szyszko Hovden; Falk Schwendicke; Vibeke Elise Ansteinsson; Ibrahimu Mdala; Rasa Skudutyte-Rysstad

doi:10.1186/s12903-023-02951-x

Dental care for older adults in home health care services - practices, perceived knowledge and challenges among Norwegian dentists and dental hygienists

BMC Oral Health. 2023 Apr 18;23(1):222. doi: 10.1186/s12903-023-02951-x.

Authors

Marte-Mari Uhlen-Strand¹, Ewa Alicja Szyszko Hovden², Falk Schwendicke³, Vibeke Elise Ansteinsson^{2

4}, Ibrahimu Mdala², Rasa Skudutyte-Rysstad²

Affiliations

¹ Oral Health Centre of Expertise in Eastern Norway (OHCE-E), Oslo, Norway. martemariu@viken.no.
² Oral Health Centre of Expertise in Eastern Norway (OHCE-E), Oslo, Norway.
³ Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
⁴ Department of Public Health Science, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.

Abstract

Background: Providing dental services to dependent older adults might be challenging because of physical and cognitive decline. The present study aimed to explore current practices, knowledge, and experienced challenges related to the treatment of older adults in home health care services (HHCS) among dentists and dental hygienists in Norway.

Methods: An electronic questionnaire survey was distributed to Norwegian dentists and dental hygienists, inquiring about background characteristics, current practices, self-perceived knowledge, and challenges when providing oral health care for older HHCS patients.

Results: Four hundred and sixty-six dentists and 244 dental hygienists treating older HHCS patients responded to the survey. The majority were female (n=620; 87.3%) and worked in the public dental service (PDS) (n=639; 90%). When older HHCS adults attended the dental practice, the treatments provided were most frequently aimed at relieving acute oral problems, although dental hygienists reported to focus on improving oral health more often than dentists. Dentists reported to have more self-perceived knowledge than dental hygienists regarding patients with complex treatment needs, cognitive or physical impairment. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was carried out on the 16 items related to challenges, three factors were extracted and Structural Equation Models (SEMs) were performed. Challenges related to dental care for older HHCS adults were related to time, practical organization and communication. Variation within these categories was associated with sex, graduation year and country, as well as time used per patient and work sector, but not with professional status.

Conclusions: The results indicate that dental care for older HHCS patients is time-demanding and more often aimed at relieving symptoms than improving oral health. A substantial proportion of dentists and dental hygienists in Norway lack confidence when providing dental care for frail elderly.

Keywords: Dental care; Home health care; Older adults; Oral health.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Attitude of Health Personnel
Dental Care
Dental Hygienists* / psychology
Dentists* / psychology
Female
Humans
Male
Oral Health
Surveys and Questionnaires