Oral health status of older male veterans in long-term care

Abstract

Reliability of DeWalt's (1975) guide for the inspection of oral tissues was tested, to measure oral health status of older male veterans in a hospital-based long-term care facility. Two groups of subjects participated: six registered nurses/nurse practitioners and 27 NHCU residents. Residents received two oral examinations, one by a nurse and the other by the investigator, fifteen minutes apart. Demographic information was obtained from both groups. Health related information was obtained from the residents. Nurses completed an evaluation of the guide after the study. Findings revealed an interrater agreement of .847. A positive correlation was found between education and oral assessment by the nurses. No other correlation was found between oral assessment and the variables. Positive correlations were found between marital status and frequency of dental checkups, marital status and income, and income and education. Negative correlation was found between age and income and number of medications taken and income. Recommendations for future study include focusing on residents with cognitive impairment and mental disorders who are largely dependent on staff.