Increasing evidence shows strong statistical correlations between improved
oral hygiene and reduction in the incidence, and mortality, from health care-associated
pneumonia among elderly. Therefore, it is important that nursing staff are well educated in
oral hygiene. The objective was to describe the design of a new
oral hygiene educational program for nursing staff, where the theoretical parts of the education were integrated with evidence about the preventive effect of improved oral care on
respiratory tract infections and health care-associated
pneumonia among hospitalized or
nursing home resident older people. An educational model was translated into three educational steps: hands-on training, group discussions, and a theoretical lecture including scientific evidence about the preventive effect of
oral hygiene on
respiratory tract infections, and health care-associated
pneumonia, among older people. Evidence-based
oral hygiene education seems to be a feasible way to increase the motivation for daily oral care tasks among nursing staff, and thus to improve the
oral hygiene status among the
nursing home resident elderly. Further studies are, however, needed to further evaluate the effect of evidence-based
oral hygiene educations in different health care settings and over longer time periods.