2020 Volume 70 Issue 4 Pages 204-214
The purpose of this study was to investigate nurses’ trial use of a foam-type toothpaste with a high concentration of fluoride for their inpatients as well as their views on the topic.
The subjects were nurses who worked in a psychiatric and a general hospital, along with the inpatients in their charge. The nurses tried using the toothpaste for the inpatients for one week and then completed a questionnaire regarding their views on the toothpaste. Information regarding inpatients’ views were obtained from nurses’ interviews with the inpatients.
A total of 25 nurses and 109 inpatients participated in this study. The nurses used the toothpaste more than once day with more than one push’s worth of toothpaste each time for all inpatients. The majority of the inpatients (73.8%) reported perceiving moisture after use, and 74.1% felt that the taste and fragrance were appropriate. More than 80% of nurses felt that the toothpaste was useful for cleaning inpatients’ mouths and that it was effective for preventing halitosis. Nurses hoped to continue using the toothpaste after the 1-week trial for approximately 80% of the inpatients. They were more likely to desire to continue use for inpatients with a rinsing disability than for those with no disability.
The results showed that the amount of toothpaste nurses used for inpatients was appropriate for preventing dental caries, most nurses and inpatients felt the toothpaste worked well, and nurses hoped to continue its use for most inpatients after the trial. Therefore, the usability of the toothpaste was considered to be high among both nurses and inpatients, and its continued use was expected to contribute to the prevention of dental caries and halitosis for patients in the evaluated hospitals.
