Improving Oral Hygiene Care in Nursing Homes: The Daily Mouth Care (Tooth Brushing) Program

This project will: 1) develop an evidence-based protocol, toolkit, and training materials for improving oral hygiene care in nursing homes , with a focus on persons with dementia and physical disabilities whose care is difficult to provide; 2) conduct a pre-post trial of the mouth care program in three nursing homes in North Carolina, evaluating the impact of the intervention on gingivitis, plaque index, completeness of oral hygiene care, and resident agitation during care; and 3) disseminate to all North Carolina nursing homes and selected other stakeholders a training DVD on mouth care in nursing homes that provides CEU credit for nurses and nursing assistants.

Principal Investigator: Phillip Sloane, M.D., M.P.H.

Funding: FutureCareNC via NC Dept of Health and Human Services

Total Project Period: 10/1/10-12/31/13