2017 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 145-155
Purpose: The Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) is a simple oral health screening tool to assess oral health in dependent elderly individuals. In this study, we examined whether the oral health condition of hospitalized patients would be changed by an oral care protocol using OHAT. We also investigated the attitude of ward nurses to OHAT and the oral care protocol using a questionnaire to understand their feeling toward OHAT and the oral care protocol.
Methods: A total of 35 patients were enrolled in this study from the neurology inpatient unit of a university hospital (mean age 73.7±13.1 years old). At admission, ward nurses performed oral assessment using OHAT, and, based on the OHAT score, the oral care plan was set and oral care was performed. Oral re-assessment was performed weekly, and the care plan was modified based on the OHAT score. At the timings of the first and final OHAT assessments, the amounts of oral bacteria on the tongue, palate and buccal vestibule were counted. The changes in the bacteria amount and OHAT scores from the first to the final assessment were compared with the Wilcoxon test.
Results: Oral bacteria amounts tended to decrease on all three locations, and the difference was statistically significant on the buccal vestibule. For the OHAT score, the total score, and the scores of the lips, tongue, saliva, and cleanness were significantly decreased. Twelve patients (34%) were referred to a dental office as a result of the first OHAT assessment. From the questionnaire to ward nurses, all participants replied that OHAT and the oral care protocol were useful.
Conclusions: Our results showed that oral health condition was improved by the oral care protocol from the improvement of OHAT scores. This suggests that OHAT is a useful indicator for oral health condition. Our findings also suggest that ward nurses had some understanding of oral assessment and protocols.
