Failure to Arrange Requested Dental Services for a Resident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to obtain routine dental services when requested for a resident with missing upper teeth. The resident was cognitively intact, had end-stage renal disease, and received regular consistency food with thin liquids, with no documented swallowing disorders, dental problems, or significant weight loss on the MDS. Since admission, there was no evidence in the medical record that the resident had been examined by a dentist, and the active care plan contained no information related to dental care. During observation, the resident was noted to have no upper teeth and reported having two remaining upper back teeth that needed extraction before being fitted for a partial denture. The resident stated that she had requested to see a dentist from several nurses but was told that the dentist’s on-site visits occurred while she was away at dialysis, which was scheduled three times per week. She reported not having seen a dentist since admission, though she had experienced mouth pain in the past from the remaining upper teeth. The Appointment Scheduler explained that residents requesting dental services should be added to a list for the next on-site visit or scheduled for an outside appointment if they could not be seen during on-site hours, and that the facility would arrange transportation. However, the Appointment Scheduler reported she had not been informed by nursing staff of this resident’s requests, and a review of dental appointment records confirmed the resident had not been seen by a dentist and was not on the list for the most recent on-site dental visit.
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