Readiness for the aging population in private dental practices

As more adults reach advanced age with natural teeth, there is an increasing need for dental and dental hygiene practices to provide care for older adults and individuals living with dementia. Little is known about how well these populations are accommodated in private practice.

Following approval from the Research Ethics Board at Mount Allison University, a survey was sent to the 517 practising dental hygienists in New Brunswick, Canada. They were asked to rate on 5-point scales their geriatric oral care knowledge, their willingness to receive more education on the topic, and how frequently they adjusted their care provision to meet the needs of older (age 70+) clients and those living with dementia.

A total of 121 dental hygienists responded (23.4% response rate). Overall, respondents were willing to learn more about geriatric care, but lacked knowledge about the oral health effects of certain medications frequently used by older adults, and about techniques for accessing the oral cavity of clients with dementia. Many accommodations recommended by geriatric specialists were not consistently carried out.

Given that older adults and adults with dementia make up an increasingly large part of the population in need of oral care, geriatric and dementia oral care needs should be emphasized in dental and dental hygiene practices and continuing education for dental hygienists.

More research is required on the impact of integrating accommodations for older clients and clients with dementia into clinical practice, as well as how oral care is experienced by these populations.