Good dental health is crucial for general health and well-being of individuals. We should never ignore any issues related to the teeth or gums. Because poor dental health is linked to diseases like cardio-respiratory problems, cancer, and dementia etc. In this article, Steven Cavellier has given some oral health care plans for educating long-term patients.
A good oral health care plan involves more than just brushing your teeth. Actually, the oral health of long-term patients affects many aspects of their daily life. With an aging populace, we can see that hospital inpatient population is also getting older often with comorbidities and fences to effective health care.
As the patient get older, their comorbidities increases and also the number of medication that is essential to manage them. Some of these medicines can cause a bad oral effect such as dry mouth which is a key to plaque formation. Hence, the older patients are at risk of poor oral health before they become resident in the care facility.
What are the Barriers to Good Oral Care?
According to Steven Cavellier, the barrier to an effective dental care is that oral service providers do not have the resources in term of time and staff. Moreover, some of them also do not have the proper training to look after the oral health need of patients.
A few health care center specifically mention oral care in their policies and training for elder patients which focus on cleaning of dentures. However, old-age people today are far likely to maintain their natural teeth.
Along with this, there can also be resistance to dental health care for the patient.
The key points which act as barriers to older people utilizing oral care are:
- Cost of Dental Treatment.
- Fear of Treatment.
- Accessibility of dental services.
- Availability of dental services etc.
Oral Health Assessment
It is essential that all the staff member have training and familiar with the standardized assessment. Steven Cavellier advice that assessment (gums and tissues, saliva, natural teeth, dentures, and cleanliness) carried out and recorded upon admission.
The dentists have to follow these assessments on regular basis to ensure changes are scrutinized and treated within time. Creating an oral health care plan for all residents is crucial step to ensure that good mouth care is upheld.
Developing Dental Health Care Plan
A good oral health care plan enables documentation of findings of the valuation along with any obstacles to effectual hygiene. Barriers can include dementia, resistance to oral care, mobility issues and lack of awareness etc.
Furthermore, the plan comprises which tools and products are to use to maintain good dental health emphasis Steven Cavellier. This includes a toothbrush, toothpaste, interdental brushes, mints, and mouthwash etc. It is also essential to involve the patient in their well-being care plan as much as possible.
Wrapping Up
Implementing a plan to monitor compliance with dental health program for long-term patients is critical to get the desired result says, Steven Cavellier. Also, it is necessary to determine dental health status, treatment needs and identify the barriers to an effective oral care.
