Oral Health
Conditions
Brief summary
To provide a point-in-time measurement of the oral health of elderly inpatients across the trust (elderly defined here as over 70 years). This will provide information about the number of teeth, need for restorative and periodontal treatment, and extractions, the health of the oral mucosa, quality of any dentures and hygiene of the teeth and dentures.
Detailed description
Such information will allow identification of any problems with oral health in this hospital population, thereby allowing development of strategies and protocols for managing these problems. There have been a number of studies examining these variables in elderly residents in care homes and a few in long term hospital settings (over 1 year admission), but only one in the UK previously in acute hospitals. Therefore the published literature is sparse, and requires further data collection. The oral health of the elderly, but particularly the institutionalized, is increasingly recognised for its important relationships with general health, wellbeing and quality of life. This study will provide useful information to address these concerns.
Interventions
no intervention - cross-sectional observational only
Sponsors
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Study design
Observational model
OTHER
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
70 Years to No maximum
Inclusion criteria
* age 70 or over and admitted to geriatric ward within the study area, able to consent
Exclusion criteria
* unable to consent, aged under 70
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| level of oral hygiene | 1 month | using modified plaque index |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| gender | 1 month | male or female |
| condition of oral mucosa | 1 month | presence of absence of specific disease, e.g. candidosis, leukoplakia |
| age | 1 month | age in years |
| number of broken and decayed teeth | 1 month | a simple count of the number of decayed and broken teeth present |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed