Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 6;12(23):2469.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare12232469.

Investigating the Challenges and Opportunities of Domiciliary Oral Care for the Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Haslina Rani  1   2 , Tuti Ningseh Mohd-Dom  1   2 , Tew In Meei  2   3 , Muhammad Syafiq Asyraf Rosli  1   2 , Lee Zi Quan  4 , Aznida Firzah Abdul Aziz  2   5 , Siti Aisya Athirah Hassan  6 , Nur Saadah Mohamad Aun  6
Affiliations

Investigating the Challenges and Opportunities of Domiciliary Oral Care for the Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Haslina Rani et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Background/objectives: Older adults need specialised dental care due to age-related changes and chronic conditions, but inadequate coordination and capacity hinder access to domiciliary oral care. This review explores the characteristics, barriers, facilitators, caregiver education, and outcomes of domiciliary oral care to improve services for frail older adults.

Methods: A systematic scoping search was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. A literature search was performed to identify the key search terms and the databases that were relevant to the objectives. A total of 454 documents were retrieved, 31 of which were included in the final synthesis.

Results: Overall, the barriers and facilitators in delivering domiciliary dental service for the elderly can be categorised into four groups: system, oral healthcare provider, caregiver, and patient. Having policies or guidelines supporting domiciliary oral care was one of the most frequently reported factors. Six studies reported outcomes of educational programme for caregivers and all were with positive results.

Conclusions: The review highlights the need for a multi-pronged approach involving the healthcare system, oral healthcare providers, caregivers, and older adults themselves to improve access to and quality of oral healthcare services for this vulnerable population.

Keywords: caregiver; domiciliary care; elderly; oral health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Selection of the literature following the PRISMA diagram (2020).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. WHO . In: Ageing and Health. Steverson M., editor. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2024. [(accessed on 1st October 2024)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health.
    1. Janssens B., Tsakos G., De Visschere L., Verté D., De Witte N. Frailty as a determinant of dental attendance among community-dwelling older adults. Gerodontology. 2023;40:363–371. doi: 10.1111/ger.12664. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Göstemeyer G., Baker S.R., Schwendicke F. Barriers and facilitators for provision of oral health care in dependent older people: A systematic review. Clin. Oral Investig. 2019;23:979–993. doi: 10.1007/s00784-019-02812-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Smith L., Smith M., Thomson W.M. Recommendations for improving dental care for dentate home-based older people: A qualitative New Zealand study. Gerodontology. 2022;39:187–196. doi: 10.1111/ger.12553. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kandelman D., Petersen P.E., Ueda H. Oral health, general health, and quality of life in older people. Spec. Care Dent. 2008;28:224–236. doi: 10.1111/j.1754-4505.2008.00045.x. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources