Using the Intervention Mapping Protocol to Design an Oral Health Promotion Intervention for Frail Home-Dwelling Older...

To present an overview of the development process of an evidence- and theory-based multi-level oral health promotion intervention targeting frail, home-dwelling older persons.

Good oral health is vital for healthy ageing, but frail, home-dwelling older persons are disproportionately affected by poor oral health. Multi-level evidence- and theory-based approaches to target frail, home-dwelling older persons and increase access to dental care are recommended.

This oral health promotion programme for frail, home-dwelling older persons was developed using the six-step, theory- and evidence-based Intervention Mapping protocol. It was guided by a literature review and exploratory research involving frail, home-dwelling older persons, informal caregivers, oral health professionals, general practitioners and pharmacists. The sixth step, the evaluation plan, was further informed by the Medical Research Council framework guidelines.

Applying the six-step Intervention Mapping protocol resulted in a needs assessment to gain a general understanding of the problem (Step 1), setting programme goals (Steps 1 and 2) and creating matrices of change objectives (Step 2). Theoretical methods were chosen and turned into practical applications (Step 3), leading to programme components (Step 4) for frail, home-dwelling older persons, informal caregivers, general practitioners, pharmacists and oral health professionals. An implementation (Step 5) and evaluation plan (Step 6) were also developed.

After pilot testing, a feasibility study will refine the design before a larger effectiveness assessment. Future developers can use our detailed example to create a theory- and evidence-based intervention programme targeting oral health.