Nursing Home/Assisted Living Facilities
PHDH’s Role in Senior Oral Health

Planning for Nursing Home/Assisted Living Facility Programs
•	Communicate with facility administrators, physicians, nurses, support staff, patients, and patient families
•	Develop a referral system for restorative treatment
•	Develop assessment forms, documentation forms/information sheets, and data tracking system. The nursing home or health facility will also need a copy of this information sheet per regulations (See the Documents and Resources Page for a sample consent/medical form and sample Information Sheet)
•	Document in patient’s chart as per PHDH regulations and nursing home/assisted living facility policies and procedures, and report clinical findings to appropriate staff at nursing home/assisted living facility, 234 CMR 5.14(6)(c)

Patient Information
•	Information for each patient encounter should include:
•	Results of the screening
•	Description of service(s) provided and follow-up treatment needed
•	Written referral to the patient’s dentist of record or to a referring dentist
•	Name of the licensed professional who provided the service(s)
•	Contact information for the dental professional providing services

Note: See the Documents and Resources Page for a sample adult Information Sheet.

Dental Hygiene Services for Nursing Home/Assisted Living Population
Oral Health Instructions (OHI)
Caregiver/Nursing Staff Education
Elder Oral Health Screening

Basic Screening Survey Tool for Older Adults
•	Standardized measuring tool established by the CDC and the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD)
•	Includes and oral health assessment and an optional participant questionnaire
•	Intended to indentify obvious oral conditions
•	A step-by-step guide and video modules reviewing this tool may be found on the ASTDD website

Supplies for Elder Oral Health Screening
Oral Cancer Screening
Oral Cancer
Oral Cancer Risk	
Caries Risk Assessment

Dentate Elders
•	More and more individuals over the age of 60 years of age have all or some of their natural teeth due to:
•	Community water fluoridation
•	Topical fluorides
•	History of dental care
•	The 2009 Massachusetts Statewide Oral Health Assessment demonstrated that 65% of residents in long term care facilities had some natural teeth.

Fluoride Varnish
Fluoride Varnish Supplies
Prophylaxis Scaling vs. Ultrasonic
Denture Cleaning and Care
Referrals for Restorative Treatment
Documentation and Reporting
Resources on Elder Oral Health
What’s Next?