RICHMOND (May 11, 2015) – A team of experienced dentists, hygienists and other volunteers will begin a yearlong effort on May 15 to demonstrate the value of preventive dental care for seniors in long-term care facilities.
The Virginia Dental Association (VDA) and Virginia Dental Association Foundation (VDAF) will that day commence a pilot program in Richmond at 10 a.m. EST at Lexington Court Rehabilitation and Healthcare, 1776 Cambridge Court.
By actually having dental professionals on staff, the VDA believes it will demonstrate that tending to the basic oral care needs of residents will improve their overall health, avoid unnecessary emergency treatments and decrease expensive hospital admissions related to dental disease.
The effort is also part of the American Dental Association’s “Action for Dental Health” movement, which aims to deliver dental care to seniors living in long-term care facilities.
While federal regulations require nursing homes to provide oral health services, funding is often not available. The situation is expected to worsen because of demographics. Twenty percent of the U.S. population is expected to be over 65 years old by 2050, and five percent will be over 85. The number of teeth at risk will also rise from about 140 million in 1972 to 933 million by 2030.
The cost of routine preventive dental services is low compared to nursing care, pharmacy and physician services for management of acute disease, according to Dr. Frank Iuorno, a VDA member dentist and chair of the initiative.
“We have high hopes for the pilot program for seniors,” says Dr. Iuorno, who says prevention is key to reducing disease among nursing home residents who often stop eating because of poor teeth and then become sick and require hospitalization as a result. “We believe ongoing dental care within a long-term care facility will improve the lives of residents and reduce the burden on the health care system.” The pilot project has been generously funded by the American Dental Association, Altria Companies Employee Community Fund and the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation.
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