The primary objective of this study was to describe a new dental hygiene education strategy for nursing staff and to share experiences from the program.

Participants were all nursing staff members (n=105) at Solberga nursing home which is located in an urban area.The setting was the dementia care departments of this nursing home. The residents in the dementia-care departments had varying different degrees of dementia (all at a level in which help with daily activities was necessary).

This strategy comprises 3 steps. The first is individual instruction for nursing staff about oral care for patients and hands-on training in toothbrushing technique using an electric toothbrush. The staff members were told that all residents who had their own teeth should use chlorhexidine gluconate 1% gel instead of regular fluoride toothpaste for 1 week every month, twice a day, as an antibacterial agent for gingivitis (and caries) prevention.The second step was small discussion groups of 4 to 8 nursing staff, led by a dental hygienist and a psychologist.The third step was a theoretical lecture focusing on the associations among dental hygiene, oral health, and general health among the elderly.

After receiving dental hygiene education, a majority of the nursing staff members believed that they had received more knowledge about oral care. Furthermore,the nursing staff considered oral care important and an increased self-confidence in administering it was noted after completing the dental hygiene education program. After recommendations given during the dental hygiene education program, the staff reported that a majority of the residents used chlorhexidine gluconate 1% gel for 1 week each month and an electric toothbrush on a daily basis.

This dental hygiene educational model should prove useful for further development of programs to improve oral hygiene among nursing home resident elderly.

                                         Zhang Guihong