A study on the effects of short-, medium- and long-term professional oral care in elderly persons requiring long-term nursing care at a chronic or maintenance stage of illness.

Objective: The purpose of the present study is to clarify the frequency of provision of effective professional oral care by dental health workers in order to improve the oral hygiene state of elderly persons requiring long-term care.

Methods: In 105 patients requiring long-term nursing care, 55 subjects with positive oral Candida albicans were divided into five groups according to the frequency of oral care intervention at intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 weeks. The effects of professional oral care on the improvement of the oral hygiene state were investigated taking the frequency and duration of care into consideration.

Results: The results showed that oral hygienic condition could be improved by performing professional oral care at intervals of 1 week for 12 consecutive weeks, and the improved condition could be maintained when professional oral care was continued at intervals of 1 week thereafter.

Conclusion: It is necessary to continue professional oral care at intervals of 1 week for 12 consecutive weeks and at intervals of 2 weeks for more than 20 weeks. The oral hygiene state could be improved by professional intervention at intervals of three or four weeks in long-term oral care, but this was limited to subjects whose Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores were higher than 3.