Fulmer Terry, Cabrera Patricia
Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Nurs Res Pract. 2012;2012:720506. doi: 10.1155/2012/720506. Epub 2012 Jun 10.
The Institute of Medicine Report called for a greater role for nurses within the context of oral health in two recent publications, Advancing Oral Health in America (2011) and Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations (2011). Nurses provide care for many vulnerable persons, including frail and functionally dependent older adults, persons with disabilities, and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These persons are the least likely to receive necessary, health-sustaining dental care (which is distinct from mouth care). The mouth, or more accurately, plaque, serves as a reservoir for bacteria and pathogens. The link between mouth care, oral health, and systemic health is well-documented; infections such as pneumonia have been linked to poor oral health. Nurses, therefore, need to reframe mouth care as oral infection control and infection control more broadly. The can provide the preventive measure that are crucial to minimizing systemic infections. Nurses in all settings can potentially provide mouth care, conduct oral health assessments, educate patients about best mouth care practices, and make dental referrals. Yet, nurses are often hesitant to do anything beyond basic oral hygiene-and even in this area, often fail to provide mouth care based on best practices.
医学研究所的报告在最近的两份出版物《促进美国口腔健康》（2011年）和《改善弱势群体和服务不足人群的口腔保健服务可及性》（2011年）中呼吁护士在口腔健康领域发挥更大作用。护士为许多弱势群体提供护理，包括体弱和功能依赖的老年人、残疾人以及智力和发育障碍者。这些人最不可能获得必要的、维持健康的牙科护理（这与口腔护理不同）。口腔，或者更准确地说，牙菌斑，是细菌和病原体的储存库。口腔护理、口腔健康和全身健康之间的联系已有充分记录；诸如肺炎等感染与口腔健康不良有关。因此，护士需要更广泛地将口腔护理重新定义为口腔感染控制和感染控制。护士可以提供对于将全身感染降至最低至关重要的预防措施。所有环境中的护士都有可能提供口腔护理、进行口腔健康评估、向患者传授最佳口腔护理方法，并进行牙科转诊。然而，护士往往对超出基本口腔卫生的任何事情都犹豫不决——即使在这一领域，也常常未能按照最佳实践提供口腔护理。
