Skilled Nursing Facilities must provide or arrange routine and emergency dental services for residents, assist with scheduling appointments and transportation, and establish policies on denture loss or damage responsibility. Facilities must refer residents with lost or damaged dentures to dental services within 3 days, and if delayed, must document efforts to ensure adequate nutrition and the reasons for the delay. Medicare residents may be charged additionally for routine and emergency dental services.
View official sourceF790 (Rev. 225; Issued: 08-08-24; Effective: 08-08-24; Implementation: 08-08-24) §483.55 Dental services. The facility must assist residents in obtaining routine and 24-hour emergency dental care. §483.55(a) Skilled Nursing Facilities A facility— §483.55(a)(1) Must provide or obtain from an outside resource, in accordance with with §483.70(f) of this part, routine and emergency dental services to meet the needs of each resident; §483.55(a)(2) May charge a Medicare resident an additional amount for routine and emergency dental services; §483.55(a)(3) Must have a policy identifying those circumstances when the loss or damage of dentures is the facility’s responsibility and may not charge a resident for the loss or damage of dentures determined in accordance with facility policy to be the facility's responsibility; §483.55(a)(4) Must if necessary or if requested, assist the resident; (i) In making appointments; and (ii) By arranging for transportation to and from the dental services location; and §483.55(a)(5) Must promptly, within 3 days, refer residents with lost or damaged dentures for dental services. If a referral does not occur within 3 days, the facility must provide documentation of what they did to ensure the resident could still eat and drink adequately while awaiting dental services and the extenuating circumstances that led to the delay.