Understanding the oral health needs of people with MND and how to maintain good oral health.

A person in an MND Association lab coat

Principal Investigator: Prof Ann-Marie Glenny

Lead Institution: University of Manchester 

MND Association Funding: £93,607

Funding dates: May 2024 - August 2025

About the project

Multidisciplinary teams help provide care and support for people living with MND. However, dental professionals are not normally involved in this team and there is little information on how to ensure the oral health needs of people with MND are met. Oral health plays a key role in maintaining quality of life and having good oral health can reduce the likelihood of developing life-threating complications, such as aspiration pneumonia (where small amounts of food/drink get into the lungs and cause infection. This project aims to determine how best to support people living with MND to have good oral health. The researchers will learn more about oral health needs by talking to people with MND and health and social care professionals. 

What could this mean for MND research?

This project aims to find out how to maintain good oral health for people with MND and could lead to the development a toolkit which could help in the maintenance of good oral hygiene. The project also aims to provide recommendations on how dental services can be improved for people with MND. 

Project code: 2334-794