Oral Hygiene Should Be A Priority For Hospital Patients
Oral health should be a priority for patients spending a long time in hospital, according to Dr Allan Willson.
For those who are forced to stay in hospital for a long period of time, mouth care can be a concern, as patients are reliant on nurses to help them clean their teeth and health experts are eager to ensure that oral healthcare becomes more of a priority.
Dr Willson said that a new programme called ‘Improving Mouth Care for Adult Patients in Hospital’ is an excellent means of raising the profile of the importance of oral healthcare and allowing patients better access to dental treatment; the programme is part of the 1000 Lives Plus scheme, which aims to provide support for health organisations and individuals to ensure that they are able to deliver high standards of care for patients in Wales.
The scheme will support patients who are in hospital for more than 24 hours, including those on palliative care wards, critical care wards and mental health wards. The aim is to target patients who are already ill and therefore prone to oral health conditions.
Dr Willson said that oral health has always been important, but there is growing body of evidence to support a link between oral health and general health, with several studies suggesting that poor oral health increases the risk of potentially life-threatening health conditions, such as heart disease, strokes and diabetes.
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