Abstract
Aim - This article aims to describe how a pre-training (baseline) assessment of the oral health awareness of carers in two residential care homes in Portsmouth was performed and its results.
Methods - After obtaining ethics approval for the project from the University of Portsmouth, two Portsmouth care homes with a total staff of 55 carers agreed to take part in a study which involved three dental therapy and dental hygiene students providing training in oral health care and the use of intraoral cameras to the carers. The carers’ baseline oral health knowledge was assessed using a questionnaire with 44 closed questions, adapted from one used in a previous study. The questions investigated: oral care provided to residents by the carers; knowledge of the importance of oral health for good general health; knowledge of
common oral diseases/conditions in older people; management of residents’ oral health care; confidence in providing oral health advice and care to residents. It also asked about the carers’ personal details, including: age; gender; years of employment as a carer and length of current employment; previous training in oral health care and use of intra oral cameras; personal oral hygiene regime; and beliefs about oral care.
Results - Forty carers completed the questionnaire but not all questions were answered by all of these carers. Their average age was 39.5 years and they had worked as carers for an average of 9.5 years. Of those who answered the relevant questions, 26% were male and 38% did not have English as their first language. Their oral health knowledge was generally fair and 38% reported that they had received oral health care training previously. Thirty percent
reported that they used a powered toothbrush and 73% that they performed interdental cleaning in their mouths.
Conclusion - The results of the study informed the oral health care and use of intraoral camera training which was subsequently provided. They provide a useful insight into the oral health care which was provided at the two care homes and of the centres' carers' demographic profile. However, they cannot safely be generalised to other care homes.
Methods - After obtaining ethics approval for the project from the University of Portsmouth, two Portsmouth care homes with a total staff of 55 carers agreed to take part in a study which involved three dental therapy and dental hygiene students providing training in oral health care and the use of intraoral cameras to the carers. The carers’ baseline oral health knowledge was assessed using a questionnaire with 44 closed questions, adapted from one used in a previous study. The questions investigated: oral care provided to residents by the carers; knowledge of the importance of oral health for good general health; knowledge of
common oral diseases/conditions in older people; management of residents’ oral health care; confidence in providing oral health advice and care to residents. It also asked about the carers’ personal details, including: age; gender; years of employment as a carer and length of current employment; previous training in oral health care and use of intra oral cameras; personal oral hygiene regime; and beliefs about oral care.
Results - Forty carers completed the questionnaire but not all questions were answered by all of these carers. Their average age was 39.5 years and they had worked as carers for an average of 9.5 years. Of those who answered the relevant questions, 26% were male and 38% did not have English as their first language. Their oral health knowledge was generally fair and 38% reported that they had received oral health care training previously. Thirty percent
reported that they used a powered toothbrush and 73% that they performed interdental cleaning in their mouths.
Conclusion - The results of the study informed the oral health care and use of intraoral camera training which was subsequently provided. They provide a useful insight into the oral health care which was provided at the two care homes and of the centres' carers' demographic profile. However, they cannot safely be generalised to other care homes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 34-42 |
| Journal | Dental Health |
| Volume | 63 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2024 |
Keywords
- Dental
- Teledentistry
- Care homes
- oral health
- oral health inequalitites