Oral Assessment and Preventive Actions within the Swedish Quality Register Senior Alert: Impact on Frail Older Adults’ Oral Health in a Longitudinal Perspective

Poor oral health is common among older people in nursing homes. To identify and prevent oral health problems among the residents, ROAG-J (Revised Oral Assessment Guide–Jönköping), a risk-assessment instrument, is used by nursing staff routinely, and the outcome is registered in the web-based Swedish quality register Senior Alert. This study aims to investigate the preventive actions registered when oral health problems are identified and the effect of these actions longitudinally. ROAG-J data registered at nursing homes in Sweden during 2011–2016 were obtained from the Senior Alert database. Out of 52,740 residents (≥65 years), 41% had oral health problems, of whom 62% had preventive actions registered. The most common action was “Assistance with cleaning teeth”. Longitudinally, during the five-year observation period, a slight increase in oral health problems assessed with ROAG-J was found. Registered preventive actions, however, led to significant improvement in the subsequent assessment for the ROAG items lips, tongue, and dentures. Standardised risk assessments like ROAG-J provide an opportunity to detect problems early and establish preventive actions. The study, however, indicates a further need for structured education and a continuous follow-up in ROAG-J. Moreover, increased collaboration between nursing and dental care to improve oral health for older residents at nursing homes is needed.