Failure to Provide Routine Dental Services and Denture Evaluation
Penalty
Summary
A resident with diagnoses including dysphagia and heart failure, and a moderately impaired cognitive status, was observed to be edentulous and reported not having seen a dentist at the facility for examination or to obtain dentures. The resident expressed a desire for dentures to improve their ability to eat harder foods and reported difficulty eating anything hard due to the lack of teeth. Medical record review showed significant weight loss over several months, with documentation from dietary and psychiatry staff noting the need for new dentures and the impact on the resident's ability to eat. The resident's diet was adjusted, and the need for dental evaluation was noted in clinical documentation. Despite these documented needs and requests, there was no evidence of a dental examination or consult for the resident since March 2022. The Social Work Director was unaware of the resident's need for a dental referral and indicated that dental service issues had occurred previously. The lack of routine dental services and failure to address the resident's request for dentures contributed to the deficiency identified during the survey.