A service evaluation of denture-related documentation for inpatients

Introduction The purpose of the service evaluation was to assess practices related to oral and denture care for inpatients, advise on methods to prevent denture loss, and educate healthcare professionals about the importance of oral hygiene.Method Data collection was conducted prospectively at Crawley Hospital across three inpatient wards. The sample size consisted of 67 inpatients and involved the completion of a questionnaire based on a review of patients notes and discussions with inpatients.Results The completion of mouthcare assessment was 100% (24/24) in ward A, 78% (18/23) in ward B and 10% (2/20) in ward C. The use of dentures was recorded in the notes in 46% (11/24) in ward A, 30% (7/23) in ward B and 35% (7/20) in ward C. Denture pots were provided to 6/11 denture users in ward A (two pots labelled with patient details), 6/7 denture users in ward B (four pots labelled) and 2/7 denture users in ward C, of which no denture pots were labelled.Conclusion The service evaluation has highlighted two areas of recommendations to improve the oral care of inpatients. The first involves tailored oral and denture care training for healthcare professionals. The second recommendation explores the use of dental scanners to store digital records of dentures.