Helen Paterson reviews the literature on the neglect of oral care for older people in long-term care settings, and the reasons behind it

For the first time in at least a century, most older people in the UK will have some of their own teeth. An estimated 83 per cent of people over 65 years of age are expected to be dentate by the year 2028 (Todd and Lader 1991), and the recent UK Adult Dental Health Survey (Todd and Lader 1998) reveals that more adults have their own natural teeth than ever before. Nurses play a vital role in providing oral care for older people who live in long-term settings yet, despite this being an integral part of the overall care of a patient (Clarke 1993), evidence suggests a distinct lack of attention to oral health and that many older people are experiencing debilitating dental diseases and infections.