Nursing Staffs Knowledge about and Skills in Providing Oral HygieneCare for Patients with Neurological Disorders

Objectives: To determine nursing staff’s current knowledge on providing oral hygiene care to patients with neurological disorders, to develop a structured basic oral examination guideline and flowchart, to educate and train the nursing staff practically concerning performing a structured basic oral examination, and to compare their perceptions on their knowledge and skills before and after education and practical training. Methods: The study was performed at a hospital’s department for patients with neurological disorders in the Netherlands. The study was conducted in two Projects: (1) using a questionnaire, several aspects of providing oral hygiene care by the nursing staff were examined; (2) a guideline for a structured basic oral examination was developed, the nursing staff received training to use the guideline, the potential increase of the nursing staff’s knowledge and skills was evaluated using a scoring form before and after the education and practical training and their perception on performing this examination was assessed using 11 questions. Results: (1) The nursing staff experienced some problems during providing oral hygiene care and demonstrated a lack of knowledge on cleansing and handling removable dentures, whereas they considered themselves adequately skilled. (2) Education and practical training did not improve their knowledge and skills, but enhanced their perception of competence significantly. Conclusions: The nursing staff demonstrated a lack of knowledge. Education and practical training enhanced their perception of their knowledge and skills concerning performing a structured basic oral examination.