Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all care home residents receive an oral health assessment.

There have been no national surveys on the oral health or tooth brushing habits of people in care homes. However, in 2016, Public Health England (PHE) reported on oral health in older people in England and Wales using data from existing surveys.

The report found that: older adults living in care homes were more likely to have no natural teeth and less likely to have a functional dentition; older adults living in care homes were more likely to have higher levels of tooth decay; care home managers experienced greater difficulty in accessing dental care for residents than household resident older adults did and residents resisting oral care routines was the second most common oral health issue raised by care home managers. Further information can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/489756/What_is_known_about_the_oral_health_of_older_people.pdf

In 2016, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance on oral health for adults in care homes. The aim of the guidance is to maintain and improve oral health and ensure timely access to dental treatment. The guidance can be found here:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng48

In 2017, NICE published a quality standard on oral health in care homes, which was endorsed by the Department, and is aimed at commissioners and providers of care homes. The quality standard can be found here:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs151

In summer 2018, PHE will be publishing ‘Commissioning better oral health for vulnerable older people’ to support commissioning of health and social care services that will have positive impacts on the oral health of vulnerable older people.