Evaluating the Effectiveness of Educational and Accessibility Interventions in Enhancing Dental Care Utilisation among Older Adults
Faheem Muzaffar MirAbstract
Introduction:
Older adults often face barriers to accessing dental care, including mobility issues, financial constraints and a lack of knowledge about oral health. Educational and accessibility interventions, such as health education programmes and mobile dental clinics, aim to improve dental care utilisation among this population. However, their effectiveness remains underexplored, particularly in combined intervention models. This study evaluates the impact of educational and accessibility interventions in enhancing dental care utilisation, oral health status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among older adults.
Materials and Methods:
A total of 122 participants aged 60 years and above were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups: The educational intervention group, which received oral health education, and the accessibility intervention group, which had access to mobile dental clinics and transportation services. Data were collected at three points: Baseline, after 6 months and at a 3-month follow-up. Dental care utilisation, oral health status and HRQoL were measured using questionnaires, clinical assessments and the oral health impact profile 14.
Results:
Both interventions resulted in significant improvements in dental care utilisation and oral health outcomes. The accessibility intervention group showed a greater increase in dental visits and more substantial improvements in oral health status and HRQoL compared to the educational intervention group. Paired
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that both educational and accessibility interventions effectively enhance dental care utilisation among older adults. However, the accessibility intervention, particularly mobile dental clinics and transportation support, showed more pronounced improvements in dental care utilisation and oral health status. These findings suggest that addressing both knowledge and practical barriers is crucial in improving oral health outcomes for older adults.