Assessing and managing oral hygiene

Assessing and managing oral hygiene


Introduction


Mouth problems are common in palliative care. Problems such as dry, sore mouth, halitosis and taste changes can lead to:



  • Difficulty with speech
  • Reduced nutritional intake
  • Increased risk of local infection, leading to more systemic infection in an immune-compromised patient
  • Reduced social interaction due to embarrassment (especially halitosis)

Causes of mouth problems include:



  • Medications (which often dry the mouth including opioids)
  • Reduced salivary function (patient perception or treatment related)
  • Oral candidiasis – a common systemic fungal infection with various presentations
  • Poor dentition or oral hygiene prior to illness
  • Diet
  • Treatment related (e.g. radiotherapy to head and neck, chemotherapy – burning mouth syndrome)

Aug 29, 2017 | Posted by in NURSING | Comments Off on Assessing and managing oral hygiene
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