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Dental
Hygienists Needed in Long-Term Care Facilities
September 2004- If you have a family
member who is a resident in a long-term care facility and who needs
dental care, you know how costly and difficult it can be to access the
care. Many residents do not have a dentist, or can not afford one. If
they do have a dentist, it can be difficult and stressful to make the
trip to a dentist's office, especially if the resident suffers from
dementia, or has physical limitations that make travel outside the facility
to a dentist's office difficult. Many residents could benefit from an
onsite visit from a dental hygienist.
Dental hygienists
perform procedures such as scaling teeth, and root planing, including
curetting surrounding tissues. However, the current Dental Hygiene Act
states that they must have an order from a dentist in order to do these
procedures. This can be a significant barrier to the resident's timely
access to oral care.
On June 7, 2004 Liberal M.P.P. Donna Cansfield tabled a bill in the
legislature to amend the Dental Hygiene Act to allow dental hygienists
to provide such routine preventative care to LTC residents without an
order from a dentist. A similar bill by Conservative M.P.P. Jim Flaherty
was tabled on June 24. Both these amendments would make oral care much
more accessible to residents. Not only do mobile dental hygienists take
their services directly to the resident, their fee guide is approximately
30% less than the Ontario Dental Association fee guide. More seniors
today have their own natural teeth and they require preventative oral
care. Oral care is an important part of the total health of seniors
and should be accessible, affordable and available. The proposed amendment
to the Dental Hygiene Act will allow for innovative, alternative delivery
of preventative oral care to long term care facilities and other public
centres across Ontario, including northern areas which are not currently
being served.
If you agree that
this amendment should be passed, please contact your local M.P.P. and
let him or her know of your interest in and support for this issue.
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We asked Pat Spencer, RDH, BA, a dental hygienist in Simcoe County,
to tell us about the work she performs in long-term care facilities.
The following is her submission.
Dental hygienists provide admission and annual oral assessments as mandated
by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and screen for any abnormalities
or oral diseases. Based on each assessment, which is recorded in the
resident's health record, I develop an individualized daily care plan
for each resident and make needed referrals to other healthcare professionals,
such as physicians, nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, dentists
and denturists. In addition, I clean and label dentures, train caregivers,
and am a resource for oral health information on each resident. I also
provide fluoride treatments, scaling (cleaning of natural teeth) when
authorized, nutritional counselling, and consultations as required.
Oral health is an important part of total health. Poor oral health can
impact on food intake, resulting in weight loss, low self-esteem, limited
social interactions, and, of course, pain. Many families want to know
what is needed to improve their loved one's oral care.
Some suggestions for gifts might be to supply:
~ a soft toothbrush with a small head and straight handle (Butler or
Maxill) in a bright colour that needs to be replaced every three months
or sooner
~ an antibacterial mouthwash (Oral B or Biotene) that is alcohol-free
for brushing the teeth and gums or rinsing if the resident is able to
do so
~ saliva replacements (Biotene or Moistir) for dry mouths resulting
from medications or a side effect of some diseases
~ denture-cleaning tablets
~ electric toothbrushes for ease of cleaning natural teeth (Oral B)
~ sugarless gum or candies |
