A registry study of oral health problems and preventive interventions among older persons receiving municipal healthcare – PROSENIOR

Abstract

Abstract Aim The aim was to identify planned and completed preventive interventions among older persons with oral health problems receiving municipal health care. A further aim was to determine the correspondence between oral health problems and planned preventive interventions among older persons with oral health problems receiving municipal health care. Design Cross‐sectional register study. Methods Oral health data from the Swedish national quality registry, Senior Alert, were extracted for 4,024 older persons (≥65 years) receiving municipal health care in a county in Southern Sweden. Data were statistically analysed. Results A large majority of older persons (97.4%) with assessed oral health problems had at least one planned preventive intervention, and approximately three quarters of the planned interventions were completed. There seemed to be a mismatch between type of oral health problems and preventive interventions as not all older persons had a planned preventive intervention related to their specific oral health problem.

Keywords

• nursing
• oral health
• prevention
• risk assessment
• Senior Alert