[What decision-making authority regarding oral care do nurses have?]

By means of a written questionnaire nurses of different wards of various disciplines in 21 German hospitals were asked about their decision-making authorization in mouth care. At the same time experience in this field of nursing was examined. The study revealed that nurses have a high autonomy concerning their decisions in performing mouth care. They decide independently on necessity, indication, and aids to be applied. They are also very independent when it comes to the evaluation of the interventions' effect. Finally, they are the professionals to inform and educate patients on the subject of mouth care. Furthermore, most nurses are not satisfied with the co-operation between nursing and dental medicine. Even in the case of serious mouth problems a dentist's assistance is only rarely sought for although nurses consider such help necessary. Increased co-operation between nurses and dentists is therefore recommended to improve mouth care in hospitals.