“ORAL CARE” ISSUES RELATED TO COVID-19 IN NURSING HOMES FOR THE ELDERLY: A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY BY THE CHIBA PREFECTURAL AND YACHIYO CITY DENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
2020 Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 68-75
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2020 Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 68-75
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a social problem since January 2020, and has now affected the entire world. After a state of emergency declaration was extended, the author brought up the issue of the deterioration of the oral environment in elderly residents due to inadequate professional oral care and subsequent illness, including aspiration pneumonia, with the Chairman of the Chiba Dental Association and Professor of Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and then decided to conduct a questionnaire survey on nursing homes involving both the Yachiyo City and Chiba Dental Associations.
The countermeasures taken against COVID-19 have highlighted the abilities to respond to, judge, and make decisions quickly. Along with these practices, we dentists can help vulnerable people, including the elderly residents of nursing homes. The issue of “oral care at nursing homes” is only one of the triggers. We would like to continue pursuing to the utmost extent what we can do as dentists to help transform the world.
