Miserable oral hygiene in nursing homes

Rotten teeth, covered with Plaque, a whitish felt-like covering, and under the dentures, rotting food scraps. "It was bad," recalls Sila Clavadetscher. During her training to become a dental hygienist, she attended Dementia in a Swiss old - age and nursing home. What they found there shocked them.

Almost always, the elderly are no longer able to brush your teeth and dentures yourself. The nursing staff is not perceived but because of ignorance or because of lack of time, often with often serious consequences for those Affected: Get caries bacteria in the lungs, it can cause pneumonia.

"The oral health of the Elderly is bad to very bad."Giorgio Menghini

Giorgio Menghini of the clinic for preventive medicine of the centre for dental medicine of the University of Zurich is aware of the grievances. He has studied over 500 seniors in various care centers. His conclusion: "The oral health of the Elderly is bad to very bad." Only five percent of all residents have clean teeth. Every second has not been treated holes, with three-quarters of stores on dentures, Plaque and Tartar.

the focus is on the dental health of children and young people, older people, until now, were simply forgotten. "But the example of the children's highlights, what with daily tooth brushing," says Menghini. Despite Soft - and energy drinks have reduced the rate of Caries by 90%. More than 60 percent of the 12-Year-olds have no holes, in the case of the Younger ones there's more.

With drugs sedated for teeth cleaning

Together, small children and care for the needy, that you need help with oral hygiene. You don't, this is the fatal. Surveys of the Federal office for statistics have shown that almost every second home residents have trouble Chewing, pain in the mouth, or other problems when eating. "Because many of the Affected demented, you can say nothing and instead receive the simple drugs," says Menghini.

the omission so bad that it comes to infections, the Elderly finally, in the case of emergencies with the ambulance to the dental clinic. The not only causes high costs but also for the people in the high age burden. Menghini is not convinced: "That would be everything needed, if you can get the help they deserve."

Elsbeth Luginbühl is the managing Director of Concret, checked homes, and awards certificates for the quality of care. She says: "mouth hygiene to General body maintenance and is thus mandatory in the everyday Care." However, Luginbühl notes: The teeth under like to go. In the morning and in the evening, it must often go quickly. Wash, get dressed, possibly eat and it goes into the next room. "Therefore, it is Central that Nurses are well instructed, that is documented, what to do with the individual inhabitants, and that the station's management reviewed this, too."

Once per day, the remaining teeth brushes

Luginbühl assumes that the problem will exacerbate in the nursing homes. Because the care of the teeth is complex. So today, more and more older people still have their own teeth. And many have filled in the gaps with implants. As a result, the frequency and Severity of dental caries and inflammation increases. Because the care of implants requires knowledge. The dental prosthesis can not be used as an artificial set of Teeth can be easily extracted and cleaned.

The Swiss dentists society has therefore drawn up under the direction of preventive medical Menghini a guide to dental care in the nursing home. Thus, Caregivers should brush the residents at least once per day the remaining teeth. And if that's not possible, then at least once per week with a high-dose fluoride toothpaste. In addition, every two, three months prophylaxis-assistant visiting inside the institutions. Remove the home residents Plaque and Tartar, and check and schools the Nursing. "So 80 percent of the tooth would prevent complications," says Menghini. A dentist or a dental hygienist, it need only rarely.

treatments go quickly into the money

In Zurich, all the urban care centres according to this Standard work now, and constantly new. One of them is meadows nursing center Brugg in Effretikon ZH. "We had focused in the past too little attention to oral hygiene," says the center's Director Margrit luescher. The experiences in everyday life, however, show that The effort is worth it. "The oral conditions of the patients have since been much better."

The cost for dental treatments go quickly into the money. Overall, the tooth came in last year cost of four billion Swiss francs. Health insurance companies rarely pay, shows an evaluation of Helsana. Have to pay for the treatments, the patients almost always yourself. To pay for low-income Retirees, which are not in the bill, evaluate the Provide for supplementary benefits (EL) compensation. The EL of the city of Zurich has commissioned a Trust a dentist in order to check that expensive interventions. Because some dentists have discovered the older clientele and not try rare, to sell when the third teeth of luxury solutions. "We pay only for what is simple, economical and practical," says Ernst Reimann, Director of the office for additional services of the city of Zurich.

(Sunday newspaper)

Created: 06.01.2019, 08:34 PM