Dental Health Care for Older Persons with Diabetes by Caregivers in Ubon Ratchathani

Abstract

Background: Ubon Ratchathani province has seen the phenomenon of the population aging since 2010and the number of the elderly continues rise each year. According to the assessment of oral health, mostof the elderly suffer from Gingivitis and Periodontitis, and have lost their teeth as a result of tooth decayand periodontal diseases. Methods: This study design was a research and development study aimed toexplore the process of dental health caregiving for older persons with diabetes by caregivers in UbonRatchathani province. Proportional to the estimation of the population, the sample size was 403 elderlypatients for contextual study from June 2016 to July 2018. Data was collected using questionnaires witha reliability of 0.8, and analysis was conducted using statistical tools, number, percent, mean, standarddeviation, independent sample t-test and paired sample t-test. Results: The finding demonstrated that theparticipants, similarly, needed care from caregivers, the role of caregivers, health promotion and prevention,while treatment was less of a need. Comparisons of evaluation results from both groups considered impactson their oral health, on the Daily Performance of their Lives, as well as their Knowledge of and Attitudetowards oral care, demonstrated a statistically significant difference (p-value = <0.001). Elderly patientswithout caregivers suffered largely from loose teeth, showing little knowledge and misunderstanding oftooth brushing techniques, believing that the harder they brush the better it is for their dental health. As forbehavior, both groups showed no statistically significant difference (p-value = 0.09) and were rated to be atthe same medium level. Conclusion: The finding can be applied for consistency of information from currentsuch as the service was easy to access, the development of the potential and skills of the elderly patients withdiabetes and their involved, as well as follow-up for strength and teamwork.