DECADE
Research type
Research Study
Full title
DEvelopment of a Core outcome set for orAl health services research involving DEpendent older adults (DECADE)
IRAS ID
254754
Contact name
Gerald McKenna
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen's University Belfast
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Many older people are now retaining most of their natural teeth. However, since this generation were not exposed to fluoride during childhood, they are more likely to suffer from tooth decay. Furthermore, as some older people lose their ability to care for themselves, oral hygiene measures such as tooth brushing can also become difficult to maintain.
As the number of older people continues to increase, the number of older people with oral health problems will also increase. This will place a huge demand on dental services. There is an urgent need to improve oral health care for older people, especially those who are dependent on care.
Translating research into practice can be time consuming and difficult owing to the large amount of information generated by different studies. Systematic reviews are a tool used to summarise the findings of existing studies and make the information accessible to decision makers. On occasion, however, it can be difficult to combine the results of different studies because the outcomes measured are very different. Furthermore, the outcomes measured in some studies are not always important to patients.
To overcome these problems researchers are developing a list of essential outcomes (Core Outcome Set), which should be reported as a minimum in all studies for a specific health condition. This study aims to develop a set of oral health outcomes specific to dependent older people that can be used by researchers and health care professionals.
To develop a set of essential outcomes a multi-step process will be carried out in accordance with international guidelines. This will involve reviewing existing research and interviewing key stakeholders (dependent older people, carers, researchers, clinicians etc.) to identify relevant oral health outcomes. An online survey and a final consensus meeting with key stakeholders will then be carried out to generate a list of agreed oral health outcomes for dependent older adults.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
19/NI/0016
Date of REC Opinion
13 Mar 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion