Impact of an Educational Intervention on Oral Health Knowledge Among Nursing Staff Caring for Hospitalized Patients...

To assess the effect of an educational intervention on nursing professionals' knowledge of hospital oral hygiene and associated factors.

A single-group quasi-experimental study was conducted in a hospital in southern Brazil, including 138 nursing professionals (mean age: 35.46 ± 9.49 years). The intervention comprised three stages: a pre-test, a protocol-based educational session delivered by two dental surgeons, and a post-test. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, McNemar's test, and Pearson's chi-square test (α = 0.05).

Before the intervention, 19.6% of participants had never received academic instruction on oral hygiene, 59.4% had not received institutional training, and 37.7% were unaware of an institutional protocol. After the intervention, correct answers reached ≥95% in 15 of 19 items and 100% in four items (p < 0.001). The greatest improvements were observed for oral hygiene before bathing intubated patients (43.5% to 85.5%), and toothbrush use in hospital settings (52.9% to 85.5%). Higher baseline knowledge was associated with the presence of an institutional oral hygiene protocol (p < 0.05).

The educational intervention improved nursing professionals' knowledge of hospital oral hygiene. Institutional protocols were associated with higher baseline knowledge, reinforcing the importance of continuing education and standardized protocols to support safe, evidence-based care.