TY  - RPRT
  - Whelton H., Woods N., Kelleher, V., Crowley T., Stephenson I., , and Ormsby M. 
  - 2008
  - July
  - Evidence Based Options for an Oral Health Policy of Older People.
  - Dublin, Ireland
  - National Council on Ageing and Older People and Health Research Board
  - Published
  - 0
  - This report recommends policy options to improve the oral health and well-being of older people. Theemergence of an ageing population dictates an urgent need to develop appropriate oral healthservices for older people. National surveys reveal an increasingly dentate older population withspecific oral health service needs. Older people face particular oral health challenges as a result ofprogression of dental decay, gum disease and tooth wear, accompanied by a reduction in the naturaldefence offered by saliva as a side effect of many commonly prescribed medications. Many olderpeople also have a reduced capacity for self care as manual dexterity decreases and the ability tomaintain good oral hygiene is reduced. Furthermore, older people are at greater risk of oral cancer:Impediments to their access to oral health care services also reduce the likelihood of opportunisticscreening and early detection. This situation of low service utilisation rates and poorer oral healthamongst older adults aged 65+ compared to younger adults is evidenced in the National Survey ofAdult Oral Health 2000-02 (Whelton et al., 2007a).This report examines the oral health status of older people, the factors affecting their utilisation ofservices and the constraints to service provision. The recommendations aim to improve their accessto oral health services. A blend of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies was adopted,involving survey questionnaires, focus group discussions and interviews with stakeholders, and asecondary analysis of national survey data. The resulting primary and secondary data as well as acomprehensive literature review provide the evidence base for this report.The main issues identified were: older people's low uptake of dental services; the adequacy of theDTSS in relation to older people's needs; the provision of domiciliary care for those who cannotaccess clinic-based services; the accessibility of service providers to older people; and theintegration of care between the dental profession and the medical profession. The policy optionsrecommended are:;#61550; that a national oral health promotion campaign targeting older people be carried out to raisetheir awareness of the need for dental visits (even if they have no teeth) and to inform themof their DTSS entitlements;;#61550; that the DTSS range of services and fee levels be reviewed such that older people areassured an equitable and acceptable level of treatment services;;#61550; that domiciliary services, particularly for older people in residential care, be given greaterpriority by the HSE dental service;;#61550; that appropriate policies and actions be identified and implemented to improve theavailability and accessibility of oral health service providers (GDPs) to older people;;#61550; that stronger linkages between dental professionals and other primary care professionals bepromoted within the structure of Primary, Community and Continuing Care (PCCC) publicservices as well as among private sector professionals.
  - Evidence Based Options for an Oral Health Policy of Older People
  - http://www.ncaop.ie/publications/research/reports/Oral%20Health/454_2008.pdf
  - http://www.ncaop.ie/publications/research/reports/Oral%20Health/454_2008.pdf
DA  - 2008/07
ER  - 

@report{V16246189,
   = {Whelton H., Woods N., Kelleher, V., Crowley T., Stephenson I., , and Ormsby M. },
   = {2008},
   = {July},
   = {Evidence Based Options for an Oral Health Policy of Older People.},
   = {Dublin, Ireland},
   = {{National Council on Ageing and Older People and Health Research Board}},
   = {Published},
   = {0},
   = {{This report recommends policy options to improve the oral health and well-being of older people. Theemergence of an ageing population dictates an urgent need to develop appropriate oral healthservices for older people. National surveys reveal an increasingly dentate older population withspecific oral health service needs. Older people face particular oral health challenges as a result ofprogression of dental decay, gum disease and tooth wear, accompanied by a reduction in the naturaldefence offered by saliva as a side effect of many commonly prescribed medications. Many olderpeople also have a reduced capacity for self care as manual dexterity decreases and the ability tomaintain good oral hygiene is reduced. Furthermore, older people are at greater risk of oral cancer:Impediments to their access to oral health care services also reduce the likelihood of opportunisticscreening and early detection. This situation of low service utilisation rates and poorer oral healthamongst older adults aged 65+ compared to younger adults is evidenced in the National Survey ofAdult Oral Health 2000-02 (Whelton et al., 2007a).This report examines the oral health status of older people, the factors affecting their utilisation ofservices and the constraints to service provision. The recommendations aim to improve their accessto oral health services. A blend of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies was adopted,involving survey questionnaires, focus group discussions and interviews with stakeholders, and asecondary analysis of national survey data. The resulting primary and secondary data as well as acomprehensive literature review provide the evidence base for this report.The main issues identified were: older people's low uptake of dental services; the adequacy of theDTSS in relation to older people's needs; the provision of domiciliary care for those who cannotaccess clinic-based services; the accessibility of service providers to older people; and theintegration of care between the dental profession and the medical profession. The policy optionsrecommended are:;#61550; that a national oral health promotion campaign targeting older people be carried out to raisetheir awareness of the need for dental visits (even if they have no teeth) and to inform themof their DTSS entitlements;;#61550; that the DTSS range of services and fee levels be reviewed such that older people areassured an equitable and acceptable level of treatment services;;#61550; that domiciliary services, particularly for older people in residential care, be given greaterpriority by the HSE dental service;;#61550; that appropriate policies and actions be identified and implemented to improve theavailability and accessibility of oral health service providers (GDPs) to older people;;#61550; that stronger linkages between dental professionals and other primary care professionals bepromoted within the structure of Primary, Community and Continuing Care (PCCC) publicservices as well as among private sector professionals.}},
   = {Evidence Based Options for an Oral Health Policy of Older People},
   = {http://www.ncaop.ie/publications/research/reports/Oral%20Health/454_2008.pdf},
   = {http://www.ncaop.ie/publications/research/reports/Oral%20Health/454_2008.pdf},
  source = {IRIS}
}