Current Demand for Specialists in Oral Care and Dysphagia Rehabilitation in Hospitals, Healthcare Institutions and Dental Clinics

Abstract

This study assessed the social demand for specialists in oral care and dysphagia rehabilitation in hospitals, healthcare institutions and dental clinics to create an educational program for dental hygienists. Data were obtained from a questionnaire survey of hospitals, geriatric health services facilities, welfare services facilities for persons with disabilities, and dental clinics in Fukuoka Prefecture in 2006, and they were compared to those obtained by the same method in 2004. In 2006, oral care was performed for inpatients in 95.1% of hospitals and for persons in 94.9% of other healthcare institutions. Dysphagia rehabilitation was performed for inpatients in 73.2% of the hospitals and for persons in 23.3% of the other healthcare institutions. Although nurses provided the majority of the oral care, a small number of them were replaced by oral specialists, such as dentists, dental hygienists and speech-language-hearing therapists. Dysphagia rehabilitation was carried out by a wide variety of the specialists in hospitals and other healthcare institutions in 2006, compared to the institution in 2004. The special knowledge and skills for maintenance of oral functions, those for understanding elderly patients and others, and nutritional knowledge as well are necessary for specialists integrating oral care and dysphagia rehabilitation in hospitals and other healthcare institutions. Thus, it is important for dental hygienists as integrated specialists to obtain special knowledge concerning nutrition, in addition to knowledge and skills for maintenance of oral functions and an understanding of elderly patients and others.