[Oral health assessment of seniors under outpatient care by family doctors : Development and validation of the geriatric outpatient oral health screening].

BACKGROUND: Despite a high prevalence in the general practitioner (GP) and geriatric field, limitations of oral health of seniors under outpatient care in Germany are not routinely recorded. Since seniors with a high age visit GPs more often than dentists, the question arises whether an interdisciplinary screening instrument can be used to identify reduced oral health in routine practice. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the work was to develop a screening tool for reduced oral health for GPs and to validate this by dental examinations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The geriatric outpatient oral health screening (GAMS) was developed as a subjective screening instrument to depict dental aspects relevant for geriatric patients, such as chewing problems, pain, periodontitis, bad breath or dry mouth in dichotomous questions. The urgency of a visit to the dentist is also assessed by the family doctor. A total of 75 patients were included and the GAMS and a dental examination were performed for validation. RESULTS: The subjective assessment of patients and dental findings showed reduced oral health especially with recognized risk factors for the development of systemic comorbidities, such as dysphagia and malnutrition, whereas oral health problems were underestimated by patients. Bites, chewing problems and dry mouth showed sufficient correspondence between dental findings and subjective assessment. CONCLUSION: The GAMS could help facilitate the consideration of oral health problems in geriatric patients in a GP setting and promote cooperation with dentists in the sense of European recommendations for action.