2021 Volume 13 Issue 4 Pages 318-324
Purpose: In order to prevent aspiration pneumonia, it is important not only to care for the remaining teeth but also to clean the dentures. When it comes to long-term care, the dentures are managed by a third person such as a family member or a caregiver. In the future, it will be necessary for the staff of nursing care facilities, such as elderly homes and special elderly nursing homes, with little knowledge of denture care, to be involved. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey of the staff of long-term care facilities in an effort to use the data to help spread good denture care and improve the level of oral hygiene of elderly residents.
Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was given to all employees of four special-care elderly nursing homes and one group home in Gifu and Nagano prefectures about their knowledge of dentures and correct care practices.
Results: Of the 332 people included in the survey, 290 responded, with a response rate of 87.3%. The data revealed that the most common length of service was less than 5 years (56.9% of respondents). 84% of the employees had contact with dentures in the facility, and 53.1% had been taught about denture care in study sessions. Although 93.7% of the respondents knew about the relationship between oral care and aspiration pneumonia, only 28.6% had read magazines or books on denture care.
Conclusions: Knowledge of denture care and oral care is indispensable for the staff of facilities providing nursing care. The link between aspiration pneumonia and oral care is well known. Standards and manuals should be created so that oral care and denture care can be performed uniformly and correctly at each facility. It is necessary to hold seminars and study sessions for long-term care facility staff to disseminate knowledge.
