An article in the New York Times describes the poor oral health that exists in many nursing homes, partly because nursing home staffs often overlook it and partly because some nursing home residents refuse to allow staff to provide toothbrushing for them.

“I always say you can measure quality in a nursing home by looking in people’s mouths, because it’s one of the last things to be taken care of,” said Dr. Judith A. Jones, chairwoman of the department of general dentistry at Boston University. “Aides change someone’s Depends, change a catheter or turn somebody every few hours, but teeth often don’t get brushed twice a day.”

If you have a loved one in a nursing home, make sure that the staff is diligently monitoring and assisting with oral health.