Integrating Dental Professionals Into Aged Care With Focus on Australia: A Scoping Review

To summarise the current evidence on the involvement of dental hygienists (DHs) in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) with respect to the feasibility of integration improved oral health for residents with dementia and multidisciplinary collaboration.

The oral health of RACF residents with dementia is reported to be poor. However, little is known about how DHs can be integrated into RACFs to improve oral health, particularly as part of a multidisciplinary team.

A scoping review was undertaken in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) method. Multiple databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles and grey literature that included a DH working in a RACF with dementia patients, or as part of a multidisciplinary team. Data were charted using a modified version of the JBI source of evidence template.

Fifty-eight studies were identified for inclusion. Integration strategies were categorised as support-focused or service-focused, but there was little evaluation of their feasibility. Five key facilitators to multidisciplinary collaboration were identified: using multiple strategies; clearly defining roles; changes to existing administrative systems; fostering multidisciplinary collaboration skills; and encouraging innovation. However, no examples of collaboration within RACFs were identified.

There has been limited effort in multidisciplinary collaboration or integration of DHs into RACFs with some evidence that both support-focused and service-focused strategies can improve the oral health of residents with dementia.