TY - JOUR
T1 - Clinicians’ view on the management of oral health in Parkinson’s disease patients
T2 - a qualitative study
AU - Verhoeff, Merel C.
AU - Thymi, Magdalini
AU - Brandwijk, Arnoud N.
AU - Heres, Mark S.
AU - Koutris, Michail
AU - Berendse, Henk W.
AU - van Dijk, Karin D.
AU - Lobbezoo, Frank
N1 - Funding Information: MT reports Grants from Sunstar Suisse SA, grants from TKI Health Holland, outside the submitted work. FL reports Grants and Other from Sunstar Suisse SA, grants from SomnoMed, grants from Vivisol-ResMed, grants from Health Holland/TKI, grants from NWO, outside the submitted work. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of ACTA (Reference number 2021-33650). From dentists willing to participate, written informed consent was obtained. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/5/12
Y1 - 2023/5/12
N2 - Background: due to numerous motor and non-motor symptoms, dental treatment in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) can be challenging. Knowledge regarding optimal management of oral health in PD patients is lacking. Aim: to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of dentists regarding oral health care for PD patients in the Netherlands. Material and method: semi-structured interviews were conducted with (specialized) dentists working with PD patients. A thematic analysis was performed using a framework-based approach. Results: ten dentists were interviewed. They reported that dental care in PD patients requires 1) adaptation of timing and length of treatments and consultations, and 2) intensifying preventive measures. Dentists experienced the organization as bureaucratic and difficult. Moreover, differences between being institutionalized or living at home were present. Education and research are needed to improve PD patients’ oral health. The experience level and affinity for treating PD patients positively influences confidence levels of the practitioner. Finally, points of improvement were suggested. Conclusion: managing oral health in PD patients is challenging, and interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to overcome difficulties. Reducing the bureaucratic burden and improving knowledge could help and stimulate oral health care providers to treat PD patients more effectively and, consequently, improve their oral health.
AB - Background: due to numerous motor and non-motor symptoms, dental treatment in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) can be challenging. Knowledge regarding optimal management of oral health in PD patients is lacking. Aim: to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of dentists regarding oral health care for PD patients in the Netherlands. Material and method: semi-structured interviews were conducted with (specialized) dentists working with PD patients. A thematic analysis was performed using a framework-based approach. Results: ten dentists were interviewed. They reported that dental care in PD patients requires 1) adaptation of timing and length of treatments and consultations, and 2) intensifying preventive measures. Dentists experienced the organization as bureaucratic and difficult. Moreover, differences between being institutionalized or living at home were present. Education and research are needed to improve PD patients’ oral health. The experience level and affinity for treating PD patients positively influences confidence levels of the practitioner. Finally, points of improvement were suggested. Conclusion: managing oral health in PD patients is challenging, and interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to overcome difficulties. Reducing the bureaucratic burden and improving knowledge could help and stimulate oral health care providers to treat PD patients more effectively and, consequently, improve their oral health.
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U2 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41405-023-00144-w
DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41405-023-00144-w
M3 - Article
C2 - 37173321
SN - 2056-807X
VL - 9
SP - 1
EP - 8
JO - BDJ Open
JF - BDJ Open
IS - 1
M1 - 20
ER -
