Abstract
This paper reports effects of oral care with foam for an elderly person with severe aperture rejection. The subject was male in his 80s hospitalized for consciousness disturbance and bilateral pneumonia after drowning with which speech therapist intervened. His oral cavity functions were in a severe condition since 22/24 in Revised Oral Cavity Assessment Guide （ROAG）and 9.2 in Oral Moisture Checker Mucus®（Mucus）. Enforcement of conventional oral care was difficult due to severe aperture rejection. We focused on foam oral care in which foam occurred by stirring mouth-wash with a sponge brush is used for oral care. The foam used had adequate viscosity, and was applicable to cavitas oris propria of a patient rejecting aperture with syringe. ROAG and Mucus were improved to 8/24 and 30.5, respectively by continuous foam care. In comparison with the conventional mouth care, the amount of mouth-wash used and time required for care were reduced to 1/2 and 1/3, respectively by the foam care. A large quantity of air contained in the foam infiltrated intraoral accretion and raised the cleaning effects, we presume. Foam care is expected to be utilized more in cases facing difficulty in oral care in the future.
