Dentistry for the nursing home resident: how to begin or improve your oral health care program.

This paper identifies the steps a general practitioner should follow to initiate or improve an oral health-care program in a nursing facility. The areas to be considered in the planning stages are explored, as well as the types of services that may be performed and the fees that the practitioner should charge. The paper provides a general overview of nursing home oral-dental services. Problems, a solution, a total quality management process for initiating the services, some questions that practitioners will need to ask and answer themselves, and a plan of action are discussed.