Geriatric Dentistry Program
The Geriatric Dentistry Program started in 2002 as a joint venture between Providence Health Care and the UBC Faculty of Dentistry. The program now offers services to the residential care populations of several other hospitals. In addition to dental service, the program is also committed to education and research. The model of care is based on fee-for-service delivery of dental care, although education and research are also mandated as outlined in the ELDERS manual “Oral Health Care for persons in residential care”. We hope to develop a model of care that can be available to other health regions within the province and elsewhere.
Funding for the program’s operating budget comes from the British Columbia Ministry of Health via the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. Capital for renovating the UBC Specialty clinic (to provide geriatric dental care) was raised by the St. Vincent’s Foundation and the UBC Faculty of Dentistry. Providence Health Care and the St. Vincent’s Foundation funded dental clinics at Brock Fahrni and Langara hospital sites. Fahrni and Langara hospital sites.
WEBSITE
Please visit our website at www.elders.dentistry.ubc.ca
SERVICE
Our dental service provides much needed care to the residents of the five Providence intermediate and extended care hospitals. In 2003, the program was expanded to serve additional facilities within the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
The goal of the program is to provide access to comprehensive dental services, which include an annual oral health assessment, and treatment as needed by dentists, dental hygienists, and dental specialists.
Mobile dental equipment is used to provide exams and basic dental care at bedside. More complex treatment is provided at clinics within the hospitals, the UBC Dental Clinic, and the operating room at Mount St. Joseph Hospital.
The dental clinics within Brock Fahrni and Langara hospitals have significantly improved the accessibility of dental services for residents, and the productivity and efficiency of the dental team. The presence of a dental clinic heightens the hospital staff’s awareness of the importance of oral health, and specifically the provision of daily oral hygiene.
EDUCATION
The Geriatric Dentistry Program educates hospital nursing staff, hospital residents and their families, dental students, and dentists. A dental hygienist trains nurses and care aides to provide daily oral hygiene and to recognize abnormalities in the mouth. UBC General Practice Residents (hospital-based dental residents) and dental hygiene students participate in clinical care and undergraduate dental students observe treatment. Continuing education courses are provided through the ELDERS (Elders Link with Dental Education Research and Service) group.
Dental hygienists review hospital protocols, recommend oral hygiene products, provide in-service education, and monitor the provision of daily mouth care for residents. Mouthcare guidelines and protocols contain a separate denture labeling protocol, a nursing assessment of oral conditions form, algorithms for routine and specialized mouthcare, along with instructional materials for families of residents. The educational program for nurses and care aides is based upon the UBC ELDERS Group educational package “Mouthcare for Persons in Residential Care” that include manuals, a Powerpoint presentation, and an interactive CD-ROM.
General Practice Residents participate in a two-month clinical practice rotation through the program. Senior dental students participate in two rotations at one of the Providence hospitals. On the first rotation, the students accompany a dental hygienist on an educational assignment to the nursing staff. On the second rotation, the students observe and assist dentists providing care. It is our hope that because of this educational experience, graduating dentists will be better prepared to provide services to this under-serviced population.
The program also supports a study club through UBC Continuing Dental Education to explore the provision of dental care for geriatric patients along with the physiological, psychological, and sociological implications of aging. This multidisciplinary study club is open to dentists, dental specialists, dental hygienists, certified dental assistants, and other health care professionals interested in geriatrics.
Research
The ELDERS group at UBC was one of the first to document the distribution of oral health problems in long-term care facilities, and to explore ways of managing the problems. More recently the group has been investigating preventive strategies for dental diseases ranging from antibacterial agents to the education for care aides.
Graduate students (MSc and PhD) as well as Visiting Scientists to UBC are using information gathered by the Geriatric Dentistry Program to learn more about the dental needs of this vulnerable segment of the population.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information on the Geriatric Dentistry Program please contact:
Dr. Chris Wyatt
Director of the Geriatric Dentistry Program
Associate Professor, Division of Prosthodontics
(604) 822-1778
cwyatt@interchange.ubc.caMs. Shunhau To
Program Manager
(604) 822-8064
ubcphc@interchange.ubc.ca
UBC Faculty of Dentistry
2194 Health Sciences Mall
Vancouver, BC V6R 2A7
Fax: (604) 822-3562Elders Link with Dental Education, Research and Service
ELDERS GROUP
UBC Faculty of Dentistry
2199 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
(604) 822-3564 Fax: (604) 822-3562
www.elders.dentistry.ubc.ca
