The Perception of elderly oral health care in the care workers in nursing homes

Objectives : The purpose of the study is to investigate the perception of elderly oral health care in the care workers in nursing homes. Methods : A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by 200 care workers in nursing homes in Daegu and Busan. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18.0 program. Results : The oral health care was maintained by innately healthy mouth(49.5%), dentists(48.5%), public health centers including institution and dentistry(46.5%), regular visit to dentistry(44.0%), and ingestion of healthy food(38.5%). Fifty eight percent of the respondents(116 persons) agreed that regular and proper toothbrushing is the most important behavior to maintain the healthy teeth. The regular visit to dental clinics(Wald=7.076, p=0.008) and an oral care by specialist (Wald=5.210, p=0.022) influenced on elderly oral health status(p<0.05). Conclusions : The oral health care education is very important for the workers in the nursing homes that the education can improve the perception toward the elderly oral health.