Dental Hygienists’ Perceptions of Oral Care for Residents in Long-term Care Facilities: The Need for Institutional Improvement and Dedicated Personnel

Objective: This study investigated dental hygienists’ perceptions of oral care for residents in long-term care facilities and provided foundational data to establish the role of dental hygienists in a super-aged society. Methods: An online survey of practicing dental hygienists with at least 12 months of clinical experience was conducted between January 22 and February 8, 2025. A total of 147 participants were recruited, and data from 136 respondents were included in the f inal analysis. Descriptive statistics, frequency analyses, and chi-square tests were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27. Results: Dental hygienists perceived the oral health status of residents in long-term care facilities as unfavorable (mean score for the perception that oral health would deteriorate=1.74) and strongly agreed that oral care plays an important role in preventing systemic diseases. The most commonly identified essential competency among older adults was understanding the interaction between oral and systemic health, and the most effective strategy for promoting oral care is placing dental hygienists dedicated to oral care at each facility. A significant difference was observed in the perceived necessity of resident dental hygienists, depending on oral care experience, with respondents without oral care experience showing greater recognition of their needs (Fisher's exact test, p=0.044). Conclusions: The f indings suggest that dental hygienists recognized the importance of oral care and the need for institutional support in long-term care facilities. These results may serve as basic descriptive data for discussions on improving oral care systems. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data.