Authors (including presenting author) :
Ho Yuen Man 1
Sun Man Ping 1
Affiliation :
1. Hong Kong Credible Care Volunteers Association
Introduction :
Today, Hong Kong is facing a shortage of dentists. However, elderly ignorance of oral health care. It may increase the risk of oral and dental diseases and reliance on dental services in Hong Kong.
To increase the awareness of oral and dental health care and self-care abilities of the elderly, Hong Kong Credible Care Volunteers Association (HKCCVA) Website: http://www.hkccva.com had developed a series of oral care education programs for the elderly in grassroots communities from February to October 2024.
To assess the effectiveness of the educational program, surveys were conducted before and after the program.
Objectives :
1. To increase the awareness of oral and dental health care for elderly in grassroots community.
2. To enhance the self-care ability of elders with oral and dental problems through education.
3. To promote oral and dental health awareness of the elderly in grassroots community through nurses voluntary groups.
Methodology :
1. Face to Face oral and dental health care educational program
Participants: 74 with aged ≥ 65
Venue: NGO elderly centre x 3
I. 28/2/2024 10am - 12N Free Methodist Church Tak Tin IVY Club
II. 22/10/2024 2pm - 4pm Hong Kong Christian Service Bliss Oplus
III. 22/10/2024 2pm- 4pm Free Methodist Church Community Chest 50+ Club
Speaker: Dentist
2. Set up a mini-library in elderly centre to provide relevant oral and dental health information.
3. Train the trainer program: Social workers in the elderly centers were invited to attend the oral and dental health care educational program.
4. Lifestyle and behavior modification
All elderly with dental problems were counselled individually on lifestyle modification, particularly denture care, regular clearing and oral care with regular check-up.
5. To assess the effectiveness of the educational program, surveys were conducted before and 3 months after the program.
Result & Outcome :
3 training sessions were completed in 3 NGO elderly centers. Total number of participant was 74. 53 participants (94.3% female) with a mean age 76.1 (SD 1.44) completed the pre & post training surveys. The survey results were shown in the following table.
口腔健康相關行為： Pre-training (%) Post-training(%) Difference (post - pre) (%)
早晚刷牙的習慣 73.6 94.3 ↑20.7
用含氟化物牙膏 50.9 83 ↑32.1
用牙線或牙縫刷 28.3 35.9 ↑7.6
用漱口水 1.9 17 ↑15.1
用洗潔精清潔假牙托 0 100 ↑100
有定期做口腔檢查 37.7
