Every smile matters: Oral health and orofacial pain in older people with dementia in UK care settings

The number of older people with dementia has increased enormously over the past few decades. Due to increased comorbid diseases, reduced self-care, and increased tooth retention, more oral health problems are expected in this population. These oral health problems can lead to orofacial pain, which is often under-detected and under-treated in older people with dementia. Remarkably, there is little research available on orofacial pain in older people with dementia.
In the more advanced stages of dementia, when self-reporting of pain becomes challenging or even impossible, observational methods are needed. To identify orofacial pain in non-verbal persons, the Orofacial-Pain Scale for Non-Verbal Individuals (OPS-NVI) has recently been developed.
This thesis contributes to improved insight on oral health, orofacial pain, and its associated factors in older people with dementia. Furthermore, this thesis contributes to the further development of the first observational tool to identify orofacial pain in non-verbal individuals. To be able to use the OPS-NVI in clinical practice, further validation is highly recommended. The ultimate goal is to fully implement oral health care in the routine health care of older people with dementia, and to carry out a preventive and personalized oral care and treatment approach.