Nursing Home Patients Refusing Dental Care
A recent study by University at Buffalo researchers found that nearly 90 percent of patients at long-term care facilities don’t take advantage of dental services, even when they are free.
Research collected from more than 2,500 residents at the Brothers of Mercy Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Clarence, N.Y., showed that the longer the patient stayed at a long-term care facility, such as a nursing home or assisted-living facility, the more likely he or she was to use dental services. But even among those who stayed at the facility for years, only 55 percent of patients used dental services.
Among this group, only 10 percent received a dental exam at least once during their stay. The average length of stay was two years. Usage rates did increase among those who stayed beyond two years.
The low usage rate at long-term care facilities echoes a similar issue among the general population.
Nearly four in 10 American adults don’t visit the dentist. – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Frank A. Scannapieco, DMD, PhD, lead investigator in the study says there is a problem within the population as a whole toward appreciation for dental care. The perception is that if you don’t have pain, you don’t have a problem.
For more information on the study, visit onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
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