Good oral hygiene practices like regular brushing (especially at night-time) are important.

Reducing sugar consumption is key for good oral heath.
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Ongoing access to prevention will make a positive difference.

But access to oral health care is poor for residents:

Access to dental services whilst in a care home is often difficult.
Some care home residents don’t have their own dentist or find it difficult travelling to one.

It is also challenging for care home staff to help:

Many care home residents need extra help with daily mouth care.
There is limited oral health training for staff.
Staff often have limited time for oral care due to competing care needs.
Residents can sometimes display challenging behaviour, which makes good oral health care difficult to deliver.

While visiting dental teams can help, it is better to prevent tooth decay and gum disease developing and this depends on understanding what is important to improve or maintain oral health and teamwork to ensure it is delivered. Daily support from care staff, diets with less sugar, and ongoing preventive care are all important for improving residents’ oral health and well-being.

Our research shows that:

Introducing an oral health programme in care homes is possible.
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Improving oral health in care homes is achievable.
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Staff welcome training and the tools to use in practice, even when time pressures and staff turnover make this challenging.
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When care home managers support oral health and staff feel confident in how to improve oral health, care homes actively promote good oral health practices.