A majority of elderly patients in nursing homes do not receive proper nursing home dental care. The practice of neglecting oral hygiene of the elderly is detrimental to their teeth and overall health.
Why the elderly need quality dental care
The patients in nursing homes are not capable of performing proper oral hygiene themselves. A lot of residents in nursing homes face conditions such as arthritis and the majority of them need assistance to regularly clean their teeth. Without quality dental care, residents in nursing clinics will not be able to achieve proper oral hygiene and this can cause some serious issues.
Poor dental care can cause more than just cavities
When the elderly are not getting the proper dental care that they need, problems can arise. Cavities are one of the results of poor dental care and cavities can be a bad outcome. However, poor dental care can also lead to issues such as tooth loss, periodontal disease, deterioration of the jawbone and more. When elderly patients develop gum diseases, they become more susceptible to other diseases. This is because the elevated bacteria count in their mouth leads to more bacteria in the blood, spreading increased levels of bacteria throughout the whole body. This results in the immune system being weakened due to strain and other illnesses can come in.
In addition to someone being susceptible to other diseases, gum diseases can also increase the severity of diabetes if the patient is diabetic. It can also lead to cardiovascular issues and heart disease. This means that neglecting nursing home dental service can end up causing the elderly patient to suffer a heart attack or stroke. Poor dental hygiene can also lead to an elderly person developing other diseases such as pneumonia. Because of the increased levels of bacteria in the mouth, every time the person breathes in, they are filling their lungs with bacteria. This can develop into pneumonia. And as we know, pneumonia can be fatal to the elderly.
Most elderly patients get inadequate dental care
Despite the plethora of issues that may arise from poor oral hygiene, the sad fact is that most seniors in long-term facilities such as nursing homes aren’t getting enough dental care. Others are not receiving any dental care at all. There are several reasons for this. The first is that providing proper dental care for the elderly can be challenging and time-consuming. Nursing facilities that have staffing limitations may find it easy to skip dental care for the elderly to cut corners.
It is a requirement by the law that nursing facilities help patients with basic tasks
Nursing home dental care is a requirement by the law. The law also requires nursing facilities to help their residents with self-care tasks that they are not able to do for themselves. This includes helping them brush their teeth and reposition themselves in beds. It also means doing regular bathing and performing other hygiene care for residents who are unable to perform them for themselves.
