[Oral care in the last stages of life].

BACKGROUND

It is the responsibility of the nursing homes to provide residents with adequate oral hygiene. This article describes a new approach to improve the oral hygiene standards of the elderly in long-term care.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The method was based on 1) the production of individual, pictorial oral care plans for each resident; 2) the patients receiving first-class dental care equipment (electric toothbrush, interdental brushes, prosthesis brushes etc.; 3) nursing staff receiving information on oral hygiene methods; 4) the introduction of a number of fixed routines at the nursing home. To assess the oral care in the group of elderly, the mucosal-plaque index was used.

RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION

The evaluation was made before commencement of the study and again after 15 months. The evaluation showed that the introduction of this method significantly improved oral hygiene in 40 out of the 63 patients.