Professional Dental Care at Home Slows Tooth Decay in Elderly Patients
A new systematic review finds that professional oral care delivered to seniors in their homes can slow root cavity progression—a major cost driver in elder care. The finding suggests healthcare systems and insurers could reduce expensive dental procedures by investing in preventive home-based services for care-dependent patients.
Originaltitel: The Effect of Domiciliary Professional Oral Care on Root Caries Progression in Care-Dependent Older Adults: A Systematic Review
<p>With care dependency, untreated root caries lesions (RCLs) and irregular dental visits are common. RCLs, if left untreated, could lead to pain, tooth loss, difficulties eating, and impact on general health. Therefore, there is a need for prevention and effective treatment for RCLs, and especially in those with care dependency. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effect of domiciliary professional oral care on root caries development and progression, in comparison with self-performed or nurse-assisted oral care. A literature search was conducted in four databases in November 2022. Two authors independently screened the literature throughout the review process. Five of the identified studies were found to be relevant. Four of these were assessed as having moderate risk of bias and were included in the review, while one study had high risk of bias and was excluded from further analyses. Due to heterogenicity of the included studies (and of the interventions and outcomes), no meta-analysis or synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) was performed. The participation of dental personnel performing mechanical plaque removal and fluoride, or chlorhexidine application seems beneficial for care-dependent older adults with risk of RCLs development and progression. However, future studies are needed.</p>