terminology
for the same care processes (Rutherford 2008). Nurses
may deliver varying interventions labelled ‘mouth care’,
‘oral hygiene’, and ‘oral care’. The use of standardized
nursing language for nursing care interventions has many
potential benefits. Oral Health Maintenance in the Nursing
Interventions Classification taxonomy, is defined as ‘Maintenance
and promotion of oral hygiene and dental health
for the patient at risk for developing oral or dental lesions’
(Dochterman & Bulechek 2004, p. 522). The defining attributes
of oral hygiene care identified in this concept analysis
are reflected in the list of activities associated with oral
health maintenance, but could contribute to a refinement of
that