The experiences of residents and their relatives accessing oral hygiene in a residential care facility

Dentistry is not funded under the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) hence, there is no incentive for the provision of routine oral care, specific treatment room or equipment. Physical access barriers could be eliminated by RACFs providing a treatment room with a dental chair and relevant dental equipment to facilitate regular dentist or dental nurse visits, oral assessments and teeth cleaning which in turn would aid in minimising oral diseases and dental emergencies. All participants acknowledged that poor oral healthcare, physical access restrictions, lack of oral health professionals within the RACF, and financial issues were problematic in receiving optimal oral care. Dental caries and their concomitant infections result in pain, malnutrition, pathophysiology, and reduced quality of life for older people which necessitate the provision of timely, accessible, competent and affordable oral care in RACF.