[Guidelines for oral care for vulnerable care-dependent elderly in a Wlz institution (long-term care...

For many dentists working in oral care for highly vulnerable elderly in Wlz care institutions, it is not always clear how to provide optimal care and what is or isn t expected of them in terms of actions or decisions. Oral care for this group differs from regular oral care in a standard dental practice, where the relationship between the caregiver and the patient is typically one-on-one. In care institutions, multiple parties are involved in the care of a single patient, and various factors must be considered when providing treatment. In addition to caring for the patient, dentists must also take into account legal representatives, geriatric specialists, care staff, and laws and regulations, such as the Care and Coercion Act (Wet zorg en dwang). Therefore, oral care for elderly in care institutions is fundamentally always a form of multidisciplinary care. This guideline has been written by a group of experts and aims not only to support oral care providers in Wlz institutions but also to create uniformity in how oral care should be provided.