mouth care
Mouth care is an area in nursing that seems to have a low priority (Griffiths and Boyle, 1993). However the status of a seriously ill patient's mouth and oral mucous can influence several other functions such as the ability to eat, swallow food, digest food and even the ability to speak. All these processes can be affected by poor mouth care (Walton and Miller, 2001). For some patients failure to identify and rectify poor oral hygiene can be life threatening, for example in chemotherapy patients, the mortality rate due to Candidemia (systemic candidiasis) is estimated to be as high as 71% to 79% (Shay, Truhlar and Renner 1997). It is therefore important that an oral status is formulated for the comfort and well being of the patient (Adams, 1996), as oral care is a very important nursing activity and is essential in providing comfort, preventing infection and maintaining the patients nutritional status (Holmes, 1996).Mouth care is a vital aspect of patient care especially for the seriously ill patient as they are usually wholly dependant on others to provide it, oral hygiene and mouth care for this type of patient is clearly a nursing responsibility, so the intention of this essay is to explore this area of nursing practice
The common cause of a fungal infection is Candida albicans which produces Thrush (Griffiths and Boyle, 1993). Xerostomia is dryness to the mouth due to the failure of the salivary glands; the salivary glands may fail for the following reasons, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and continuous use of oxygen or the presence of a nasogastric tube (Jones, 1998). Other common oral problems that a nurse may encounter may include Halitosis (bad breath) which may be a result of food debris in the mouth, plague deposits, dirty dentures and damaged or diseased teeth. Within the Intensive Care (ICU) setting Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is the predominant nosocomial infection with a mortality rate of between 54% and 71% (Grap, Munro, Ashitiani and Bryant, 2003). Salvia substitutes, sipping water and mouth rinsing can help to alleviate this condition (Turner, 1996). Basic anatomy of the oral cavity and common oral problems will be examined; this area of care will also be applied to the critically ill patient to show the importance of oral hygiene to the unconscious or intubated patient. Micro organisms are concentrated in dental plaque and can include organisms such as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) or Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. The aims of mouth care are to maintain a healthy and clean oral cavity, keep the oral mucosa moist, prevent build up of plaque, prevent or detect infection, prevent chapped or broken lips and to promote comfort, dignity and well being for the patient (Clarke, 1993). A simple sideways motion is required and should be repeated on the lower jaw, tongue, gums and inner surfaces (Jones, 1998). For infection control purposes the nurse should be wearing gloves before any procedure is carried out. (Martini, 2001)Teeth and GumsThe teeth aid in the mechanical breakdown of food, they are two parts to the teeth; the part embedded in the gum is referred to as the root, the exposed part of the tooth is called the crown (Turner, 1996). Stage 4 The patient's mouth needs to be kept moist, this can be achieved with water and foam sticks. The cavity should be examined and observations made on the following, moisture level, colour and texture, the nurse should also note the presence of the following, plaque, debris, cuts and bleeding (Clarke, 1993). Gram positive infections are rare and appear as a dry, round brownish wart. Regular oral hygiene can help to alleviate this condition (Jones, 1998).
Common topics in this essay:
Griffiths Boyle,
Mallett Bailey,
Anatomy Mouth,
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa,
Truhlar Renner,
Walton Miller,
Klebsiella Proteus,
Teeth Gums,
Submandibular Salvia,
Sowers Valez,
oral cavity,
mouth care,
oral care,
oral hygiene,
clarke 1993,
jones 1998,
holmes 1996,
evans 2001,
griffiths boyle,
ill patient,
griffiths boyle 1993,
seriously ill patient,
et al 2003,
grap et al,
summarised follows- «,
|
Acceptance Essays
