Oral Health Care at Saint-Louis Residence

Oral health of residents should be a priority. The Ontario CLRI partnered with La Cité Collégiale in an effort to increase access to oral care resources for long-term care (LTC) homes.

Many LTC residents find it difficult to access a traditional dental office due to transportation, physical, and financial limitations. In an effort to improve access to oral care in LTC homes, the Ontario CLRI piloted a partnership with a local college’s dental hygiene program to develop a placement program, resources, and tools. The partnership sparked the creation of both an animated video outlining why oral care is important and a publication describing the partnership model, as well as the translation of the Oral Health Assessment Tool.

Background

There is growing awareness around the importance of oral care for overall health. LTC residents are particularly vulnerable to several risk factors for poor oral health that can lead to oral bacterial disease, bad breath, mouth sores, and pneumonia. Establishing partnerships with the dental hygiene community can bring oral health expertise on-site.

Links

Mouth Matters Video – An animated video that presents to staff and caregivers why oral care is important.

Oral Health Assessment Tool Translation – The purpose of this initiative was to produce a French translation of the OHAT that is acceptable to users — nurses and dental hygienists — and is conceptually and metrically equivalent to the English version originally developed.

Oral Health Partnership Brochure – This brochure describes a partnership between Ottawa’s Saint-Louis Residence (SLR) LTC home and the dental hygiene program at La Cité Collégiale. For a copy of the full report, please contact info@clri-ltc.ca

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