What is already known about this topic
● Frail older patients in hospitals and long-term care settings
who are dependent on others for oral hygiene
care are at risk for poor oral health.
● Older patients in institutional settings are retaining
their own teeth much longer than ever before, but
their state of oral hygiene, a key component of oral
health, is known to be poor.
● There is no common understanding of the widely used
terms ‘oral care’ and ‘mouth care’ or the activities
these interventions should entail.