Oral care for the elderly
Research also shows that elderly oral care is sadly lacking and often ignored as dental professionals are typically not included as part of a medical team.
The mouth is just another area of the body that needs care, yet it tends to be hidden away and ignored. Swishing an oral sponge around the mouth doesn’t remove plaque and calculus, so only has minimal functions. A good example would be: respiratory therapists can use chlorhexidine antibiotic rinse before intubation to help reduce aspiration pneumonia. Is this a required standard of care for that profession? Please help me to understand from your profession’s standpoint. Did your program include information on oral issues and care? If you have clinical experience related to this situation, please explain.
1) Do you feel government policy should mandate that hospitals and long-term care facilities (such as nursing homes) have a dental professional on staff, at least part-time? Why or why not? Who would benefit?
2) This paragraph should be a “wrap-up” or summary of your opinion/knowledge of this elderly issue.
Required references for this assignment:
https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/basics/adult-oral-health/adult_older.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4295446/
https://www.ada.org/en/member-center/oral-health-topics/aging-and-dental-health
