The Office of Dental Health conducted a dental screening survey of residents at 22 random long-term care facilities starting in 2020 and ending the summer of 2022. For those 22 long-term care facilities that participated-Thank you for allowing us into your facility in order to gather the necessary information for the dental screenings. We appreciate your willingness to allow us to come and visit your residents, especially after COVID. We know these past few years have been difficult with the pandemic, but we appreciate you working with us for this important information.
Attached is a break-down of what was found in those random nursing homes. While this is not looking at every older adult resident in the state, it is felt it represents a good amount to make assumptions on what would possibly be found if we conducted this screening on every older adult resident. As noted in the attachment, of those older adults with teeth, 40% of them have untreated decay and 29% are in need of periodontal care. The Office of Dental Health has been working with clinics to encourage them to provide care to this underserved population. We will also be developing some training for staff and caregivers on the importance of proper dental care.
Again, thank you for allowing us to conduct this screening. If you have any questions, please contact us at oralhealth@health.mo.gov or 573-751-5874. We wish everyone a safe, enjoyable and healthy holiday season!