Abstract
The care provided by nurses is supported by evidence with knowledge and repeated implementation that leads to confidence in the care. Nurses providing care on the patient's side give little importance, inadequate knowledge, and insufficient observation of oral care. The authors used a 0%–100% visual analog scale and self-administered questionnaire to clarify the relationship between knowledge and perception and confidence in oral care.
Results revealed that nurses scored ≥70% in their knowledge of the underpinnings of oral care routinely performed by nurses, 50%–70% for content performed in specific departments, and <50% for content in which nurses are not the primary providers. In addition, the awareness of the importance of the subject is high, but this is not linked to knowledge or confidence.
Therefore, nurses who do not combine "knowledge," "awareness," and "confidence" in oral care may result in care ambiguity, but with a significant impact on the "quality" of care.
