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A service evaluation of mouth care referrals for adult inpatients in an acute hospital

British Dental Journal (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

Introduction Healthcare professionals working in hospitals often have inadequate training in supporting patients with mouth care, which is one reason oral health deteriorates in hospitalised patients.

Aim The aim of this service evaluation is to assess the main reasons healthcare professionals request advice from the mouth care lead nurse and identify common trends.

Method Data were collected for patients referred to the mouth care lead between 2020-2022, including age, sex, reason for referral, outcome and whether the patient needed redirecting to a dentist or doctor.

Results A total of 204 referrals were analysed and 93% of patients referred were aged over 65 years of age. The most common reason for hospital admission was cancer (14%), followed by falls (9%) and stroke (7%). The most common reasons for mouth care referral were dry mouth (43%), poor oral hygiene (15%) and loose dentures (14%). Overall, 62% patients were deceased within a year of the referral.

Conclusion This evaluation shows there is value in having a dedicated mouth care lead nurse who can provide training to staff when required for individual patients. Inpatients tend to be older, often in their last year of life, and there is a need to focus training on dry mouth.

Key points

  • Oral health often deteriorates when patients are hospitalised.

  • A mouth care lead provides oral health training for hospital staff.

  • Older people toward their end of life often suffer from dry mouth and staff feel less confident in managing this.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dental Core Trainee, East Surrey Hospital, UK

    Anushri Pindoria

  2. Mouth Care Matters Lead Dental Nurse, East Surrey Hospital, UK

    Loraine Macintyre

  3. Consultant in Special Care Dentistry, East Surrey Hospital, UK

    Mili Doshi

Authors
  1. Anushri Pindoria
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  2. Loraine Macintyre
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  3. Mili Doshi
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Contributions

Anushri Pindoria − preparing manuscript and analysing data; Loraine Macintyre − data collection; Mili Doshi − conceptulisation.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anushri Pindoria.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The study was a service evaluation to assess reasons for mouth care advice from healthcare professionals for hospitalised patients and was approved by the Trust Clinical Governance groups - formal approval from an ethics committee was not required.

Data were collected retrospectively and anonymised, so consent to participate was not required. Patient case details have been modified so that patients cannot be identified.

Data availability: not applicable.

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Pindoria, A., Macintyre, L. & Doshi, M. A service evaluation of mouth care referrals for adult inpatients in an acute hospital. Br Dent J (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-023-6497-y

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