Development and validation of a nursing home mortality index to identify nursing home residents nearing the end of life in dental clinics.

Background: Nursing home (NH) residents seek care at dental offices, yet many of them are at the end of life. The uncertain life expectancy further complicates the care of NH residents. This study aimed to develop and validate a Nursing Home Mortality Index (NHMI) to identify NH residents in the last year of life.

Dental treatment intensity in frail older adults in the last year of life.

Background: Palliative care focusing on pain and infection is recommended for patients who are terminally ill. It is difficult to implement this strategy in practice because of the lack of clear guidelines. The authors conducted a study to examine dental treatment provided to a group of long-term care (LTC) residents in the last year of life.

Dental caries in older adults in the last year of life.

Objectives: To examine dental caries severity (measured by number of carious teeth) in older adults in the last year of life.

Design: Cross-sectional study based on dental records.

Setting: Community-based geriatric dental clinic.

Patterns of tooth loss in older adults with and without dementia: a retrospective study based on a Minnesota cohort.

Objectives: To study tooth loss patterns in older adults with dementia.

Design: Retrospective longitudinal study.

Setting: A community-based geriatric dental clinic in Minnesota.

Predicting tooth loss for older adults with special needs.

Objectives: Older Adults with Special Needs (OASN) have more oral health needs compared with healthy, independent elders. Currently, little is known about tooth loss, a key indicator of oral function loss, among OASN. Risk assessment is primarily based on clinical experience rather than scientific evidence, raising concerns for quality of care.

The application of facial expressions to the assessment of orofacial pain in cognitively impaired older adults.

Background: The anticipated rapid growth in the number of cognitively impaired older adults, declining edentulism and increasing oral health expectations suggest a greater need for comprehensive dental care and effective ways to evaluate orofacial pain in people with compromised mental function and impaired communication skills. The authors conducted a study to evaluate facial expressions as a means of identifying orofacial pain in cognitively impaired and cognitively intact older adults, compared with other available pain assessment tools.

Methods: The authors conducted a prospective comparative study using three alternative pain measurement tools in a sample of 22 older adults.