Effects of Oral Care Interventions on Oral Health and Oral Health-related Quality of Life among Denture-wearing Older Adults

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigates the effects of oral care interventions on oral health and oral health-related quality of life in denture-wearing older adults. Methods: A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was utilized. There were 26 participants in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. Participants were aged 65 or older, residing at long-term care facilities for more than six months, using dentures, able to brush their teeth, follow gymnastics without jaw joint problems, and cooperate in the measurement of bad breath. The oral care interventions consisted of brushing teeth, denture management, and mouth gymnastics and was performed three times/week, for 20 minutes/session, for a total of 4 weeks. The x test, Fisher's exact test, repeated measures ANOVA, and independent t-test using SPSS/WIN 22.0 program were analyzed. Results: The performance of brushing teeth (F=27.66, p<.001), denture management (F=38.23, p<.001), and mouth gymnastics (F=5.12, p=.016) significantly increased with time up to the fourth week. After the interventions, significant differences were found between groups in subjective oral health status (t=5.87, p<.001), dry mouth (t=-9.24, p<.001), bad breath (t=-3.37, p<.001), and oral health-related quality of life (t=-6.46, p<.001). Conclusion: The oral care interventions, including a self-administered oral care checklist, can improve the motivation for oral care performance, oral health behaviors, oral health status, and oral health-related quality of life among older adults. Broader application of the intervention is warranted.