To increase the awareness of oral hygiene among community dwelling older adults (Esthers)

The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 estimates that oral diseases affected 3.5 billion people worldwide, with untreated dental caries being among the most prevalent non-communicable diseases. A 2016 study found that almost 1 in 3 Singaporeans aged 60 and above did not have any teeth. As such, oral health should be part of the comprehensive care for the general well-being of older adults in the community. 10 participants were recruited into the focused discussions, followed by individual health coaching then a pre and post intervention questionnaires. The post-intervention results showed that there were significant improvements in both oral hygiene awareness from 26% to 35% (p<0.05) and a reduction in the oral pain and discomfort, as reflected by the improvement in the GOHAI score from 45 to 46.5 (p<0.05). The findings highlighted the importance and benefits of increasing oral hygiene awareness through targeted health coaching among older adults in the community.

Presenter/s: Wan Tian (Singapore General Hospital, Singapore) , Yi Xu (Singapore General Hospital, Singapore) , Pei Yuan Chan (Singapore General Hospital, Singapore) , Lian Leng Low (Singapore General Hospital, Singapore)