Mouth care training and practice: a survey of nursing staff working in National Health Service hospitals in England

Abstract

Background This study investigated the training and mouth care practice of nursing staff in hospital Trusts across England. Oral health has been found to deteriorate during hospital admission, mouth care standards have been found to be poor. Aims The objectives of the study were to assess if and what the barriers are to supporting inpatients' mouth care, and to assess how confident nursing staff are in carrying out mouth care assessments and mouth care and see if this is related to previous training. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in 33 Trusts in England with 1576 members of the nursing team including nurses and nursing assistants. Nursing staff were asked to complete a questionnaire on previous oral health training and their current practice. Results Nursing staff reported that they had limited training in mouth care. The main barriers to mouth care were time and patient compliance. Confidence in recognising oral cancer was low. Conclusions Nursing staff would benefit from mouth care training targeted at assessing the mouth and providing mouth care for all inpatients.

Views of homecare staff and carers on oral needs and dental care for people living with dementia: A qualitative study

“…Carers sometimes felt they too often lacked up-to-date knowledge and thus relied on homecare providers to offer advice and demonstrate good practices. This is consistent with the findings of some studies of NHS professionals 17,19 so perhaps a broader problem in dementia support. Some homecare providers did not collect or have on record details of their clients' dentists so had to contact a GP or a social worker if dental care is needed, which may not be efficient.…”

“…Carers sometimes felt they too often lacked up‐to‐date knowledge and thus relied on homecare providers to offer advice and demonstrate good practices. This is consistent with the findings of some studies of NHS professionals 17,19 so perhaps a broader problem in dementia support.…”

Missed nursing care: A cross‐sectional and multi‐centric study from Turkey

“…Patient turning and mouth care require comprehensive evaluation and responsibility for patient well‐being and safety (Brooker et al, 2020; Coker et al, 2017). However, nurses may lack willingness to perform these activities, perceiving them as challenging and unappealing and prioritizing other tasks instead (Doshi et al, 2021; van Noort et al, 2020). Considering both the intention to leave and the nurses' perceptions, it is understandable that these care activities are frequently missed.…”

Investigating a correlation between poor oral health in the hospitalised geriatric population and an increased risk of mortality: what can we do?

“…However, the current nursing curriculum lacks sufficient education on OC for complex restored dentition and prostheses. 19,20 Additionally, healthcare assistants (HCA) receive no training in OC during their certification, despite being the primary providers of mouth care for in-patients within hospitals. 14 Without training, nurses and HCAs cannot deliver proper oral care.…”