Abstract
Since its reform in 2006, the care insurance system has been able to provide preventive oral function care to patients. However, the number of actual recipients of this service is lower than that of preventive motor function service care recipients. The aim of this study is to clarify the awareness of the oral function service and the actual status of oral cavity assessment. Data is taken from a survey of staff members (planners) of community-inclusive medical centers. Furthermore, we determine the influential factors in planning oral function preventive care.
The study utilized mail-in anonymous survey results. The analysis was done based on returned questionnaires from 467 out of 707 planners.
47% of staff recognized service effectiveness, few practiced oral cavity evaluation (17-25%), and few had awareness as oral cavity raters (14%). Some positive factors affecting the number of oral service planning were the following; “evaluation results of teeth and gingiva”(p<0.001) and“evaluation of presence of food debris and plaque”(p<0.01). On the other hand, the negative factor, “detailed checks concerning cleaning methods of dentures or teeth” (p<0.001), showed a reduction in the number of applications for the preventive care program.
We assume that the planners, who were responsible for the initial screening, significantly influenced the decision-making process related to the application for preventive oral function care. The planners should not only be aware of their roles, and but also improve their assessment capability.
