Functionally-tailored Oral Care Intervention for Community-dwelling Older Adults With Dementia and Their Caregivers

This study aims to develop and evaluate a functionally-tailored oral hygiene intervention to improve oral health for community-dwelling persons with dementia, while also reducing caregiver burden and improving the care partner relationship. The study consists of two phases. First, we will develop a modularized, functionally-tailorable oral care intervention based on caregiver qualitative interviews and existing literature. The second phase will then examine the efficacy and feasibility of the intervention through a randomized controlled trial (3 intervention: 1control ratio)with 40 Persons with Dementia/caregiver dyads. Control participants will receive the standard oral hygiene education currently provided to persons with Dementia during dental care. The Intervention group will receive 4-week, dyadic, hands-on, functionally-tailored oral care intervention. We will collect data at baseline, 4-weeks, and 3 months post intervention. After data collection, the differences in the control and intervention groups in regard to their oral hygiene, behavioral symptoms during oral care, caregiver outcomes (burden, self-efficacy) and care partner relationship will be explored.

The specific aims of this study are:

Aim 1. Develop a staged and modifiable dyadic oral care intervention to provide functionally-tailored oral care rehabilitation for community-dwelling persons with dementia (PWD) and need-based skills training their family caregivers (CGs). Based on the literature review and MCWB, a 4-week intervention with 8 modules, including universal modules (e.g., environmental changes), CG modules (e.g., cuing strategies) and modules for both PWD and CGs (e.g., oral care techniques), will be developed addressing the relevant SCT constructs (e.g., functional deficits of PWD and caregiving needs of CGs). Guided by a validated, widely-used theory of rehabilitation medicine, modules will be used alone or in combination to provide personalized, hand-on, functionally-tailored oral care rehabilitation for PWD along with skills training for CGs to match their caregiving needs. The training focus shifts from the PWD to the CG, as the independence of the PWD decreases. Semi-structured interviews with family CGs will then be conducted (until data saturation is reached) to understand their oral care needs, desired intervention approaches, and the perceived feasibility and utility of the intervention. The intervention will be revised and then pilot tested with 4 dyads, one per each of the four functional levels of the DAT.

Aim 2. Evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of the intervention in home settings through a randomized, controlled trial with 40 pairs of PWD and their primary CGs, including immediate post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Dyads will be stratified into 4 functional levels based on the PWD's DAT score and then randomly assigned to the intervention or control (non-tailored usual care) group.

Sub-Aim 2.1 Evaluate the feasibility of the intervention across four domains: acceptability, demand, implementation, and practicality. We will interview the dyads and review their daily oral care logs at both post-intervention and 3-month follow-up, assessing satisfaction with, acceptability of, and actual use of the intervention. Oral care trainers will complete intervention logs following each training session to document the extent of content delivery, diversion from the protocol, resources used, and perceptions about intervention success. Exit interviews with PWD (when possible), CGs, and trainers will be conducted to identify potential barriers, facilitators, and needed changes.