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Objectives: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of an oral healthcare programme in nursing homes on care staff knowledge and attitude regarding oral health. Methods: The study sample consisted of the nurses and nurses' aides from 63 nursing homes, which either received an oral healthcare programme including mobile dental care or were on a waiting list to receive this programme. A validated questionnaire completed at baseline and again after the study period assessed the care staff knowledge and attitude. Paired t test, independent t test, general linear and linear mixed models were used to examine the changes in attitude and knowledge scores. Results: In total, 546 questionnaires were completed by the same people from 36 nursing homes at baseline and on completion of the study. After the intervention period, knowledge significantly improved in both study groups (I p < 0.001; C p < 0.001), the intervention group significantly showing the largest increase ( p < 0.001). The outcome variable attitude only showed a significant improvement in the intervention group ( p < 0.001). The mixed models confirmed the impact of some aspects of the intervention on the attitude and the knowledge of the caregivers. Conclusions: The oral healthcare programme including a mobile dental team resulted in a significant increase of the care staff knowledge and attitude regarding oral health. Clinical relevance: The integration of a dental professional team in nursing home organisations should be encouraged because it could be valuable to tackle barriers for the provision of daily oral hygiene and to support the continuous integration of oral health care into general care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain insight in the oral health of persons aged 65 years or more., Materials and Methods: Data were obtained from 652 vulnerable older persons (≥65) by means of a clinical oral examination. Additional demographic data were gathered including age, gender, residence, and care dependency., Results: The mean age of the total study sample was 83 (7.7) years and 71 % was female. Nearly 33 % of the sample was living at home with support, and 67 % was residing in nursing homes. The number of occluding pairs was low and the proportion of edentulous people was highest among persons with the highest care dependency. The mean Decay-missing-filled teeth index (DMFT) was 20.3 (9.0). A prosthetic treatment need and inadequate oral hygiene levels were observed in 40 % and more than 60 % of the subjects, respectively. The highest treatment need was observed in the oldest age group and the highest mean dental plaque in older persons with the highest care dependency., Conclusions: The oral health in frail older people in Belgium is poor. The restorative and prosthetic treatment need is high and oral hygiene levels are problematic. Age, residence, and care dependency seemed to have some influence on oral health parameters., Clinical Significance: In the long term, the most important future challenge of oral health care policies is to identify older adults before they begin to manifest such oral health deterioration. Regular dental visits should be strongly promoted by all (oral) health care workers during the lifespan of all persons including older adults.