Improving oral health in institutionalised elderly people by educating caregivers: a randomised controlled trial

• Published in: Community dentistry and oral epidemiology 2001-08, Vol.29 (4), p.289-297
• Main Authors: Frenkel, Heather, Harvey, Ian, Newcombe, Robert G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; caregivers; Caregivers - education; Cluster Analysis; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Dental Care for Aged; dental health education; Dental Plaque - prevention & control; Dental Plaque Index; Dentistry; Female; frail elderly; Gingivitis - prevention & control; Health Education, Dental - economics; homes for the aged; Humans; Institutionalization; Male; Nursing Homes; oral health; randomised controlled trial; Single-Blind Method; Stomatitis, Denture - prevention & control; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0301-5661; 1600-0528
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0528.2001.290408.x

– Objectives: This cluster‐randomised controlled trial assessed whether oral health care education (OHCE) for nursing home caregivers would achieve improvements in clients’ oral health. Methods: Twenty‐two nursing homes were randomly allocated to intervention or control group. Clients were examined at baseline and at follow‐up visits 1‐ and 6‐months after caregivers received OHCE. Main outcome measures were denture plaque, denture‐induced stomatitis, dental plaque and gingivitis. Differences in group means/medians were compared with adjustment for cluster randomisation. Results: Clients’ baseline oral health was poor. After OHCE, the intervention group’s oral health scores improved significantly. Reductions in denture plaque scores (0–4 scale) exceeded those of the control group by 1.15 (95%CI=0.83, 1.47) at 1 month and by 1.47 (95%CI=1.13, 1.80) at 6 months. Denture‐induced stomatitis prevalence reduced significantly over 6 months compared to the control group (P