UQ leading project to improve dental health in aged care

Professor Loc Do, Director of Research at UQ’s School of Dentistry, said older adults living in aged care facilities have the highest prevalence of poor oral health, with untreated tooth decay estimated to be as high as 70 per cent.

“Untreated dental diseases are associated with impaired cognitive function, poorer nutrition, increased frailty, a heightened risk of respiratory infections, and declining overall health,” Professor Do said.

“Access to appropriate dental care is a major challenge in residential aged care and residents with cognitive impairment may not be able to communicate they have pain.

“Consultation with residents and care staff in phase 1 of this project revealed oral care was often a low priority due to low staffing ratios, high workloads and competing priorities.” 

The research team will visit 28 aged care facilities in Townsville, Bundaberg, the Darling Downs, Dalby and northern New South Wales to teach care staff to assess the oral health of residents, identify problems and refer to dental clinics as necessary.

“Suitable oral healthcare is urgently needed in aged care, but to be feasible and scalable it needs to be delivered on site,” Professor Do said. 

“After listening to feedback, we developed an oral health assessment tool for aged care staff to use which will be accompanied by training and education, a referral pathway and dental intervention where appropriate.

“It’s a more usable, adaptable and integrated tool, informed by the lived experiences of those who will administer and receive the oral health assessments.  

“Arresting tooth decay would substantially improve residents’ nutrition and ability to perform many important activities of daily living.

“This is the first government-funded project of its type, and our early results show the initiative could make a significant difference to the dental health of aged care residents across Australia.”

Darling Downs Health contributed to the project’s development, with more than 40 staff involved in trialling the tool. 

Assistant Director of Nursing for Rural Aged Care, Steven McNamara, said the tool was implemented across the health service's six aged care facilities. 

“Our staff found the tool very valuable, particularly in helping them identify oral health issues early and understand when to refer residents to a dentist,” Mr McNamara said. 

“It was also a positive learning experience for our teams, and we continue to use the tool.

“By picking up issues such as gum disease and tooth decay earlier, we can intervene sooner, and help prevent serious complications, including malnutrition.” 

Collaboration and acknowledgements