Failure to Coordinate and Provide Needed Dental Extractions
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a resident received necessary dental services as recommended by a dentist. The resident, who was cognitively intact and dependent on staff for several activities of daily living, had a history of congestive heart failure and end stage renal disease, and was on a mechanically altered diet due to difficulty chewing. The dental assessment indicated a need for multiple tooth extractions, but these extractions were not coordinated or completed. The resident reported that all his teeth were broken and needed to be pulled, and he required his food to be cut into very small pieces to eat. The process for coordinating dental extractions was not followed, as social services did not ensure that nursing or the physician were notified about the need for extractions and the requirement to hold anticoagulant medication. Documentation confirming physician notification was not available, and nursing staff were unaware of the need for extractions until the day of the survey. The facility's policy required assistance in obtaining needed dental services, but this was not carried out, resulting in the resident not receiving the recommended dental care.