Improving the oral health of elderly long-term care residents with support of an oral health coordinator

Objective: The goal of this project was to determine whether an oral health coordinator (OHC) could improve the oral hygiene of residents in long term care facilities. Methods: This prospective study utilized 4 LTCFs in Courtenay, Comox Valley on Vancouver Island and included 126 residents with natural teeth (66% female, age range 63–101 years, and 34% male age range 62 -108 years). Residents’ oral hygiene was assessed at baseline and again at a 6-month using the Geriatrics Debris Index-Simplified (GDI-S) and Geriatrics Calculus Index-Simplified (GCI-S). The OHC provided in-service education & training of care aides and nursing staff with respect to daily mouth care over the six-months of the project. Results: The mean number of teeth per resident was 18. At baseline, 73% did not receive help for their daily mouth care, and after examination, 95.2% were recommended to receive assistance with their daily mouth care. A paired-samples t-test revealed no statistically significant difference in (GDI-S) and (GCI-S) measurements between baseline and 6-month follow-up. Conclusion: Although the OHC provided extensive training of care staff, the oral hygiene did not improve.Dentistry, Faculty ofGraduat