A novel approach to oral health assessment training for dietitians in long-term care settings in Israel: A pilot study of changes in knowledge and practice

Changes in knowledge and practice of 30 dietitians in Israel who work in geriatric care were assessed following a training program on nutrition-focused physical assessment (NFPA) of the oral cavity. Knowledge scores increased from pre- to immediate posttraining (P < .001), to 12 months posttraining (P < .001), and from immediately to 12 months posttraining (P = .015). For all NFPA components at 3 months posttraining, participants were more likely to perform the assessment themselves rather than avoid the assessment for that component or obtain the data from the medical record. From 3 to 6 months posttraining, there were no significant changes in the proportion of "performed" assessment components; performance of assessment components was retained over time.