Online initiative to improve oral health of the elderly

A new online initiative to improve the oral health of elderly people launched on the 3 March in the House of Commons. The Improving Oral Health in Older Persons Initiative (IOHOPI) aims to

raise awareness of the importance of good oral health later in life by providing training for carers within the English counties of Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Its website, www.iohopi.co.uk,

has been specially developed by the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) and features e-learning modules, links and resources that aim to substantially improve the overall wellbeing and

quality of life for older people.

According to the IOHOPI Project Leader, Dr Robert McCormick, the initiative will be 'initially aimed at providing oral healthcare training and resources for carers within the care home

setting [but the team] aspire to extend this to support and improve training for all carers of older persons within the wider community.'

It is predicted that by 2020, around one in five people in the UK will be aged 65 years or older. As people age, many will develop some deterioration in physical and cognitive abilities, and

increasingly need care, either in their own or in residential or nursing homes. BDHF Chief Executive, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, said: 'Elderly people have some very specific dental needs with

many suffering from decay due to changes in saliva flow that occur with age or as a result of prescription drug use. All this occurs at a time when self-care through toothbrushing may become

more difficult due to decreasing manual dexterity.

'I hope the vast array of resources on the website will help carers to better understand the importance of oral health and help to reduce the number of problems older people face.'

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