시점별 전문가 구강 관리가 요양병원 입원 환자들의 구강 건강 상태에 미치는 영향

The Effect of Professional Oral Care by Time Point on Oral Health Status of Inpatients in A Nursing Hospital

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of professional oral care by time point on the oral health status of inpatients at the S Nursing Hospital in Busan. Methods: A dental hygienist visited to perform professional brushing and denture disinfection at the same time once a week for four weeks. Irritative saliva was collected before Week 1, during Week 2, and after Week 4 to evaluate the salivary flow rate, saliva pH, and risk of dental caries. Results: The results showed significant values in salivary flow rate (p<0.05), saliva pH (p<0.001), Streptococcus mutans (p<0.001), and Lactobacillus (p<0.01) at each time point. Conclusions: Professional oral care and oral health education should be conducted continuously and systematically on elderly patients admitted to nursing hospitals. Furthermore, it is expected to be used as primary data for establishing a direction and policies for oral health care among the elderly in society.