Effective mouth care for older people living in nursing homes
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Effective mouth care for older people living in nursing homes

Mili Doshi Consultant in special care dentistry, East Surrey Hospital, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Redhill, England
Loraine Lee Mouth care lead nurse, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Redhill, England
Meg Keddie Senior dental officer, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Redhill, England

Why you should read this article
  • To enhance your awareness of the causes and effects of oral health conditions

  • To understand the reasons why nursing home residents are at increased risk of suboptimal oral health

  • To improve your practice in supporting nursing home residents with mouth care

Oral health for older people living in nursing homes has long been an area of interest and concern, with suboptimal oral health often having significant effects on their general health, well-being and quality of life. This article outlines the reasons why oral health can deteriorate in nursing home residents and the potential effects of this, and provides information about relevant national guidance. The article also details practical recommendations for nursing home staff on improving residents’ oral hygiene, including undertaking oral health assessments, delivering mouth care and accessing dental services.

Nursing Older People. doi: 10.7748/nop.2021.e1320

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

mili.doshi@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

None declared

Doshi M, Lee L, Keddie M (2021) Effective mouth care for older people living in nursing homes. Nursing Older People. doi: 10.7748/nop.2021.e1320

Published online: 24 February 2021

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