Poll: Proper ppe for dental hygiene

Specialties Geriatric

Published

  1. Does your facility provide proper ppe (glasses and masks) for brushing/flossing?

    • 1
      Yes
    • 7
      No

8 members have participated

Do your facilities provide orbital & oral ppe (glasses and masks) for brushing/flossing your residents' teeth?

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.

Honestly, I can't remember when I can recall staff flossing a residents teeth? Kinda makes me chuckle to think about...knowing how difficult it can be to just get dentures out of a demented old lady's mouth.

As far as PPE, there is no standard of practice to support the use of masks/glasses for oral care in LTC. I suspect you've never or rarely attempted oral care in LTC. I

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Honestly, I can't remember when I can recall staff flossing a residents teeth? Kinda makes me chuckle to think about...knowing how difficult it can be to just get dentures out of a demented old lady's mouth.

As far as PPE, there is no standard of practice to support the use of masks/glasses for oral care in LTC. I suspect you've never or rarely attempted oral care in LTC. I

I practically went to dental hygiene school with my mother when I was 8. I am very serious about dental health - especially when most infections occur from oral microbiota, and serious infections like endocarditis occur because people don't floss, and when their gingival blood supply become exposed to said microbiota there's trouble. So, yes, I do spend time giving oral care.

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