Oral hygiene and mouth care for older people in acute hospitals: part 2
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence & Practice Previous     Next

Oral hygiene and mouth care for older people in acute hospitals: part 2

Ben J Steel , ST1 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Acute hospital admission provides an excellent opportunity to address poor oral health in older people, a group rarely seen by dental professionals and for who oral health activity in hospital is inconsistent and generally suboptimal.

This two-part article explores oral hygiene and mouth care provision for older adults in acute hospitals. The first article presented the findings of a literature review exploring oral and dental disease in older adults, the importance of good oral health and mouth care, and the current situation. The second article explores clinical recommendations.

A change in philosophy is needed to embed oral care as an essential component of holistic practice. More research is needed to determine the best ways to assess and treat oro-dental problems in older people, and promote and restore their oral health in hospitals. Great potential exists to innovate and develop new ways of providing care to this group.

Nursing Older People. 29, 10, 20-25. doi: 10.7748/nop.2017.e947b

Correspondence

ben.steel@nuth.nhs.uk

Peer review

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

Conflict of interest

None declared

Write for us

For information about writing for RCNi journals, contact writeforus@rcni.com

For author guidelines, go to rcni.com/writeforus

Received: 21 April 2017

Accepted: 08 August 2017

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more