ORAL HEALTH INTERVENTION USING BEHAVIORAL CHANGE TECHNIQUES FOR MILD DEMENTIA: A MIXED METHOD STUDY

Sep 29, 2026

Maintaining oral health in people with mild dementia is difficult because cognitive impairments undermine independent adherence to oral hygiene routines. A care partner-assisted intervention was designed to improve oral health outcomes using structured coaching sessions that incorporate behavioral change techniques. Seventeen care partner–person with mild dementia dyads completed four monthly coaching sessions. A mixed-methods analysis combined deductive content analysis of transcripts and quantification of technique occurrences by code frequency, with gingival index change categorizing dyads. Results indicate goal setting, problem-solving, and action planning were most prevalent, supporting positive behavior change and improved oral health outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Overview

Rationale and study gap

Intervention design and participants

Mixed-methods analysis and outcomes

304 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 United States, 3. Durham VA Healthcare System, Durham, North Carolina, United States, 4. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States Maintaining oral health in individuals with mild dementia (PLwMD) is challenging due to cognitive impairments that hinder independent adherence to oral hygiene routines. To encourage PLwMDs’ engagement in oral hygiene self-care behaviors, implementing behavioral change techniques (BCTs) are essential. Despite the effectiveness of BCT-based interventions in various health contexts, their application in PLwMD has been underexplored. To address this gap, this study evaluated the effect of a care partner-assisted intervention designed to improve oral health outcomes through structured coaching sessions incorporating BCTs. Seventeen care partners–PLwMD dyads participated in four monthly coaching sessions led by an interventionist and a dental hygienist. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including 1) deductive content analysis of coaching session transcripts to identify BCT applications and 2) quantification of BCT occurrences based on code frequency. Additionally, gingival index changes from baseline to the 3-month follow-up were used to categorize dyads as ’no change (n = 3)’,‘worsened (n = 2)’, and‘improved (n = 12)’. Preliminary results showed that the most prevalent BCT codes were goal setting, problem-solving, and action planning, etc. This suggests that greater use of BCTs drives positive behavior change, reinforcing better oral hygiene practices and improving oral health outcomes. The finding also highlights the potential of BCT-based interventions to enhance self-care behaviors for oral health in PLwMD. Further exploration is warranted to optimize care partner training and intervention strategies to maximize and sustain improvements in oral health outcomes for PLwMD. Abstract citation ID: igaf122.1025 ORAL HEALTH INTERVENTION USING BEHAVIORAL CHANGE TECHNIQUES FOR MILD DEMENTIA: A MIXED METHOD STUDY Sophie Zhijing Xu1, Eunjung Ko1, Jing Wang2, Jackie Finik1, Shahrzad Siamdoust1, Justine Seidenfeld3, and Ya-Ning Chan4, 1. New York University, New York, New York, United States, 2. University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire,

FAQs

Why is oral health management challenging for people with mild dementia?

Cognitive impairments make independent adherence to oral hygiene routines difficult, reducing consistent self-care.

What intervention was evaluated in this study?

A care partner-assisted program delivered through structured monthly coaching sessions incorporating behavioral change techniques.

How were behavioral change techniques identified and measured?

Coaching session transcripts were analyzed using deductive content analysis to identify applied techniques, and technique occurrences were quantified by code frequency.

Sep 29, 2026

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