Essay On Oral Care In Nursing Home

As baby boomers grow older and are no longer able to care for themselves, the need for a nursing home will increase. Not only is oral care in a nursing home a problem, several reputable authors have labeled it as “deplorable.” Regardless of the legislation declaring that residents receive oral care, there has not yet been a system put in to place to monitor this. There have been many reports in the US describing how horrific “the delivery of oral care is, including lack of toothbrushes and other oral hygiene supplies; unsanitary storage of these supplies including partial and full dentures, as well as the lack of adherence to infection control procedures in the provision of oral care.”(Reference) This needs to end now more than ever before. Most of these residents are entering with either very expensive dental work or most of their natural teeth, either way they are left to waste away without being properly cared for. Most facilities do not offer dental clinics on site for their residents. In some US states residents can contract with dental hygienists to provide both therapeutic and preventive care, all for a fee of course. This fails to serve the residents who are unable to afford additional care. …show more content…
This is a result of multiple medications most residents are put on. Jablonski reports drug prescriptions to average eight medications per resident in US nursing homes. (Reference) People that suffer from xerostomia typically complain of discomfort in both the delivery of oral care and while eating. A few of the many common oral symptoms include: speech difficulty, mouth odor, commissure sores, taste disorders, and prosthesis irritation. It is no coincidence that rates of periodontal disease are higher at this age range. The oral conditions related to xerostomia can be the cause in the growth of occurrence of periodontal