Failure to Provide Timely Dental Services and Dentures
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide timely dental services for one resident, as required by its own policy and state regulations. The resident, who had diagnoses including major depressive disorder, cerebral infarction, and hypothyroidism, had all remaining lower teeth extracted and was left without lower dentures for nearly a year. Clinical records showed repeated documentation by the speech therapist and physician regarding the resident's ongoing difficulties with eating and dissatisfaction due to the absence of lower dentures. Despite multiple physician orders to follow up with dental services, the resident continued to be without lower dentures for an extended period. Resident council minutes further confirmed the resident's ongoing concerns and the delay in receiving dentures, with documentation that the dental provider had reduced the frequency of visits, potentially contributing to the delay. Interviews with the resident and the Director of Nursing confirmed that the resident had not received lower dentures in a timely manner, resulting in ongoing eating difficulties and dissatisfaction with quality of life.