As per the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), oral health is a key part of a person’s overall health and wellbeing. Including oral health in care plans for people receiving health or social care support and at high risk of poor oral health helps ensure that relevant needs are addressed. This may include day-to-day support to help people maintain good oral hygiene and referring to dental services if needed

Mouth Care should be part of the daily routine care delivered to your clients as this intervention can prevent serious complications later such as pneumonia. When oral hygiene is neglected, the mouth will become dry and sore, the tongue and roof of the mouth becomes coated and stained, all of which can cause distress and health complications.

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on the importance of good oral care and how to assess and carry out evidenced based mouthcare. This will identify any issues the client may already have with the aim to prevent any further mouthcare problems occurring.

This Policy will educate staff and ensure that our clients receive the care required to support their oral health.

This policy will follow the recommendations in The NICE guideline NG48 Overview | Oral health for adults in care homes | Guidance | NICE.