Improving the Oral Health of Older People in Care Homes: Results From a Randomised Feasibility Study

作者：Georgios Tsakos, Paul R. Brocklehurst, Saif Sayeed Syed, Michelle Harvey, Sana Daniyal, Sinead Watson, Nia Goulden, Anna Verey, Peter Cairns, Anja Heilmann, Zoë Hoare, Frank Kee, Joe Langley, Nat Lievesley, Ciarán O’Neill, Andrea Sherriff, Craig J. Smith, Rebecca Ruth Wassall, Richard Geddie Watt, Gerald John McKenna · 发表于：Community Dentistry And Oral Epidemiology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1111/cdoe.13043 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Dental Health and Care Utilization、Oral microbiology and periodontitis research、Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes

OBJECTIVES: Poor oral health is a considerable burden for older adults in care homes. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued guideline NG48 on "Improving oral health in care homes". However, empirical evidence for oral health interventions among care home residents is weak, and the feasibility of the NG48 recommended interventions is not established. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of delivering a co-designed oral health intervention, based on NG48 recommendations, in care homes in two sites in the UK. METHODS: This was a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled feasibility study with a 12-month follow-up, undertaken in 22 care homes across two sites (11 each in London and Northern Ireland). Care homes were randomised to an intervention arm (n = 11), and a control arm (n = 11) that continued with usual routine practice. The complex intervention contained materials were co-designed with care home staff and consisted of: care home staff training package; Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) administered by trained care home staff; and a support worker assisted twice daily tooth-brushing regimen with 1500 ppm fluoride toothpaste. Rates of recruitment and retention, data completion, and intervention fidelity were recorded to determine feasibility. RESULTS: One-hundred-and-nineteen residents from 22 care homes were recruited and 82 residents from 19 care homes completed the study (retention: 86% for care homes and 69% for residents). Twenty ...