Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 20, 2025
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
The complexity of tooth brushing among older adults with intellectual disabilities: Findings from a nationally
Caoimhin Mac Giolla Phadraig1, Maria Farag1, Philip McCallion2
1School of Dental Science, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Child and Public Dental Health, Dublin Dental University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Background:
Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) have poor oral-hygiene and oral health. A better understanding of their oral-hygiene behaviours will inform interventions to improve personal and population health.
Objective/Hypothesis:
To identify the oral hygiene behaviours undertaken by and on behalf of older people with IDD.
Methods:
Cross-sectional survey from the third wave of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA) undertaken 2016-2017. Frequency of oral hygiene, level of support, type of brush used and for a subsample, brushing technique are reported. Bivariate analyses adopted Pearson's Chi Square test of independence.
Results:
The sample (N = 609) had a mean age of 59.7 years (SD = 8.8); 88.4% (n = 536) reported tooth cleaning at least daily. The majority who had teeth to clean reported using standard toothbrushes (75.9%), with a minority using electric (9.6%) or modified toothbrushes (5.9%). Of the 505 who reported cleaning teeth, 285 (48.5%) did not report any assistance, 127 (25.2%) were totally dependent on another person and 133 (26.3%) reported assisted cleaning, of whom 40.0% (n = 52) were Supervised, reminded or encouraged, 27.7% (n = 36) reported Hand-on-Hand and 23.8% (n = 31) reported Brush-after-Brush techniques. An association was detected between assistance and type of toothbrush used (p < 0.001). None was detected between assistance and frequency-of-brushing (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
Older adults with IDD present with a complex mix of supports, toothbrushes and techniques. This highlights the complexity of oral-hygiene behaviour for this population and indicates the need for bespoke individual care plans and complexity in interventions to improve population oral-hygiene.
More Related Videos
06:52Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
08:25Collecting Saliva and Measuring Salivary Cortisol and Alpha-amylase in Frail Community Residing Older Adults via Family Caregivers
Published on: December 18, 2013
Related Concept Videos
01:15Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...
01:26Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
01:30Cognitive Development During Adulthood
01:29Intellectual Disability
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
01:21Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or...