Challenges and Solutions to Improve the Provision of Oral and Dental Health Services for the Iranian Older people: A Qualitative Study

Objectives: To examine the challenges of providing oral and dental health services for the Iranian older people and strategies to improve them. Design: A qualitative study. Setting(s): Iran’s health system consisting of units that provide oral and dental health services to aging people. Participants: Opinion-holders and service providers were selected using a purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect information, and the content-analysis method was utilized for data analysis. Outcome Measures: challenges of providing oral and dental health services for the Iranian older people and strategies to improve them. Results: Three main topics were identified, including problems in the health system and service delivery system, problems related to older people, and socio-economic problems, along with 16 sub-topics. The solutions included the existence of a written program, guidelines, and instructions for providing services and training, empowering health system employees regarding oral and dental hygiene and training specialists, appropriate insurance coverage for the services received, monitoring and evaluation of the services provided, and regular follow-ups of older people. The other solutions were strengthening the referral system, providing suitable service packages for different levels of service provision, and involving various organizations to provide oral and dental health services to aging people. Conclusions: The most important challenges in providing oral and dental health services to the aging population of Iran were identified in this study, and solutions were presented to improve them accordingly. It is anticipated that the officials and guardians in this area will focus on necessary plans and measures to enhance the oral and dental health of older people.