A new resource aimed at improving dental health amongst care home residents has been made available for care home managers.
Entitled ‘Caring for Smiles – A Guide for Care Homes’, the guidance has been put together and published by the National Oral Health Improvement Group (NOPOHIG) in Scotland. The organisation has been working alongside NHS Scotland in order to provide care training and support for care homes with older residents who want to improve mouth care.
The resource champions person-centred care, which is at the heart of most care training courses and practices as it is, as well as the importance of regular risk assessments. The guide also highlights the risks and impacts of neglecting oral health and explains ways care homes can react to resistance from residents to dental care, which does happen occasionally.
Commenting on the guide and its aims, NOPOHIG’s chair and a consultant in Dental Public Health, Maura Edwards, said:
“Older people living in care homes are at a significantly higher risk of oral health problems and related conditions than the rest of the population because of higher levels of dependency and dementia-related conditions.”
