Oral Health in Nursing: A Descriptive Literature Review

Abstract

Oral health is a key element of overall health. It has an impact on many areas of wellbeing including mental, social, and physical wellbeing. Oral health has been associated with a variety of health conditions such as diabetes, pregnancy outcomes, stroke, pneumonia and others. Poor oral health can lead to serious oral issues like periodontal disease, tooth decay, tooth loss and most fatally, oral cancer. Nurses are primary figures in healthcare and have a key role to play in the oral health promotion. For these reasons, the purpose of this thesis is to explore the importance of oral health in nursing care and the oral health perceptions of nurses so that oral care is better integrated and prioritized in nursing practice.

The methodology used is a descriptive literature review which will aim to answer the formulated research questions. Data was extracted using online databases such as EBSCO, Science Direct and ProQuest. Ten articles were selected for this literature review.

This literature review found that oral health is important in nursing care and relevant across a variety of nursing areas. As for the oral health perceptions of nurses and nursing students, this review found that oral health is neglected compared to other nursing interventions and that more training is required to improve oral care.