A Systematic Review of Oral Health Assessment by Nurses and Carers for Residents with Dementia in Residential Care Facilities

This paper presents systematic review findings to best summarize the assessment of oral health and the use of oral assessment tools by nurses and carers for adults with dementia living in residential aged care facilities. The systematic review searched electronic databases for articles in English (1980 to 2002) and supplemented these with a secondary search of references cited in articles meeting the review inclusion criteria. Delineation is needed between a comprehensive dental examination conducted by a qualified dentist and a dental assessment screening by a carer, nurse, allied health professional or medical practitioner. Dental examinations should be supplemented with oral health assessments and screenings by trained nurses and carers to monitor residents' oral health, evaluate oral hygiene care interventions, act as a trigger to call in a dentist when required, assist with residents' individualized oral hygiene care planning and assist with triaging and prioritization of residents' dental needs. To date, the most comprehensive, validated and reliable assessment screening tool for use by nurses and carers with cognitively impaired institutionalized residents is the Brief Oral Health Status Examination. Other less comprehensive oral assessment tools that are useful for nurses and carers of institutionalized dementia populations include the Index of Activities of Daily Oral Hygiene and the Mucosal Plaque Score. These review findings presented evidence to support the use of oral assessment screening tools by nurses and carers for cognitively impaired residents living in residential aged care facilities. Few validated and reliable tools have been published for use by carers in the cognitively impaired residential care population, and continued evolution of oral assessment screening tools needs to embrace the complete spectrum of residents' levels of cognitive impairment.