The relationship between nurses' oral hygiene and the mouth care of their patients

To investigate the extent to which a relationship may exist between nurses' own oral hygiene and their commitment and capability of following instructions for tooth brushing with conventional and triple-headed toothbrushes, to cerebral palsy (CP) children. The study included 43 individuals with CP and their 44 nurses. A structured questionnaire was designed to assess I. Demographic characteristics of the nurses II. Nurses' knowledge and maintenance of their own oral-hygiene and that of their CP patients. Nurses' ability to follow instruction for tooth-brushing was evaluated and scored using the TB-PS-I/Ashkenazi index following the first brushing, as well as on a recall visit one month later. More nurses (72.7%) reported routine tooth-brushing in the morning than in the evening (40.9%). Most nurses (73%) reported not flossing their teeth at all, and more than half reported visiting their dentist only when they suffer pain. A positive correlation was found between the nurses' knowledge of preventive oral measures and their compliance with their own oral hygiene and with that of their CP patients. Similarly, a positive correlation was found between nurses' receiving previous instruction for correct oral hygiene and their maintenance of their patients' oral hygiene. Institutions for CP patients should disseminate information on oral hygiene to staff, as a means of increasing their maintenance of their patients' oral health.