Use of oral health care services among older home care clients in the context of an intervention study.

Background: An increasing number of care-dependent older people living at home need external support to receive regular dental care.

Objectives: To investigate the use of oral health care services among old home care clients who participated in an intervention study focusing on oral self-care and nutrition.

Materials And Methods: This study employed data from the multidisciplinary Nutrition, Oral Health and Medication (NutOrMed) intervention study with a population-based sample of 245 home care clients (74% female) aged 75 or more divided in intervention (n = 140) and two control groups (n = 105).

Oral Health Outcome Measures: A Feasibility Evaluation.

Objectives: Outcomes of oral health care must be measured and analysed to improve oral health care delivery, outcomes, and quality. This study aims to develop and test outcome measures for the needs of oral health organisers and explore their feasibility using clinical data.

Methods: Based on the literature review and oral health advisory board, outcome measures for oral health care were identified, developed, and tested.

Eating problems among old home care clients.

Aims: The purpose was to examine the prevalence and determinants of self-reported eating problems in old home care clients, screened separately by a clinical nutritionist and a dental hygienist.

Methods And Results: The data came from the Nutrition, Oral Health and Medication (NutOrMed) study, the participants of which were ≥75-year-old home care clients living in Finland. The structured interviews were conducted at the participants' (n = 250) homes.

Oral Health and Hygiene and Association of Functional Ability: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Old Home Care Clients.

Purpose: To describe oral health and hygiene in old home care clients and investigate how functional ability was associated with them.

Materials And Methods: This study employed part of the baseline data of a multidisciplinary intervention study of 269 home care clients aged ≥75 years, living in Eastern and Central Finland. Structured interviews were used to measure ability to function in activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), comorbidity (functional comorbidity index, FCI), depression (geriatric depression scale, GDS-15), cognitive function (mini-mental state examination, MMSE), nutritional status (mini nutritional assessment, MNA) and numbers of prescription drugs used.

The association of frailty with oral cleaning habits and oral hygiene among elderly home care clients.

Background: Increasing numbers of frail elderly people living at home but dependent on supportive care will face complex oral health challenges.

Objectives: To investigate the associations of frailty status with oral cleaning habits and oral hygiene taking into account the effects of preventive oral health intervention among home care clients aged 75 or over.

Methods: Data were gathered by interviews and clinical oral examinations at baseline and after a 6-month follow-up.

The combined effect of individually tailored xerostomia and nutritional interventions on dry mouth among nutritionally compromised old home care clients.

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of tailored xerostomia and nutritional 6-month interventions on xerostomia among home care clients aged 75 years or over who were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.

Background: A subjective feeling of dry mouth (xerostomia) is common among older adults and affects their quality of life, nutrition and oral health. Medical conditions, polypharmacy, dehydration and malnutrition are often underlying causes of xerostomia.

Preventive oral health intervention among old home care clients.

Background: poor oral health is common among older people dependent on supportive care and it affects their quality of life. Cognitive impairment and functional dependency may increase the risk of compromised daily oral hygiene.

Aim: to investigate the effectiveness of a tailored preventive oral health intervention among home care clients aged 75 years or over.

Adult heavy and low users of dental services: treatment provided.

The aim of this study was to compare treatment provided to adult heavy and low users of dental services in the Finnish Public Dental Service (PDS) and to analyse changes in patients' oral health status. We assigned all adults who attended the PDS in Espoo in 2004 to a group of heavy users (n = 3,173) if they had made six or more dental visits and to a comparison group of low users (n = 22,820), if they had made three or fewer dental visits. Data were obtained from the patient register of the PDS.

Oral Health Behavior and Lifestyle Factors among Overweight and Non-Overweight Young Adults in Europe: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.

Being overweight is a risk factor for many chronic diseases including oral diseases. Our aim was to study the associations between oral health behavior, lifestyle factors and being overweight among young European adults, 2011-2012. The subjects constituted a representative sample of adult population aged 18-35 years from eight European countries participating in the Escarcel study.

[Oral health among the elderly].

A large proportion of our population is ageing with own teeth in the mouth. Good oral health and an adequate number of teeth improve the functional capacity of an elderly person. Oral diseases are, however, becoming more common among the elderly population with the accumulation of risk factors such as insufficient self-care, cariogenic diet, reduced salivation, smoking and systemic diseases.

Heavy consumption of dental services; a longitudinal cohort study among Finnish adults.

Background: A reform to Dental Care legislation in 2002 abolished age limits restricting adults' use of public dental services in Finland. In the Public Dental Service (PDS) unit of Espoo, the proportion of adult patients rose from 36% to 57%. The aim of this study was to investigate heavy use of dental services by adults and its determinants.