Special mouth care with dentures, thrush and parotitis prophylaxis

Mouth care for people who cannot do it themselves — with inspection, denture care and targeted prevention of thrush (Soor) and parotitis, especially when nil by mouth, tube-fed or with swallowing disorders.

Content created with AI assistance from public clinical sources (RKI, AWMF) – may contain mistakes; if in doubt, your textbook is right

Translated from the German original, which is authoritative. The exam itself is in German.

Material

• Disposable gloves, surgical mask if needed, torch, wooden spatula
• Soft toothbrush or child's toothbrush, toothpaste, foam swabs and mouth care solution if needed according to the care plan or medical order
• Denture brush, denture cup (labelled), denture cleaner according to the manufacturer's instructions if needed, adhesive
• Cup of water, kidney dish, towel or paper tissue, lip care
• With swallowing disorders: suction ready according to local policy

Typical mistakes in the exam

• Positioning flat with a swallowing disorder and rinsing with a lot of water
• “Inspecting” the mouth without light and without removing the denture
• Cleaning the denture with hot water or dropping it over an empty sink
• Neglecting mouth care during tube feeding or nil by mouth because the person “isn’t eating anything”
• Dismissing white coating as food remains instead of thinking of thrush

What examiners ask afterwards

• Which people have an increased risk of thrush, and how do you recognise it?
• Why is the risk of parotitis increased in people with a PEG or nil by mouth, and what do you do about it?
• How do you store a denture overnight, and why?
• What do you do if the person refuses mouth care?

Sources

• ZQP-Ratgeber Mundpflege – Praxistipps für den Pflegealltag
• KRINKO: Prävention der nosokomialen beatmungsassoziierten Pneumonie (RKI) — Abschnitt Mundpflege
• Bundeszahnärztekammer: Handbuch der Mundhygiene — Ratgeber für das Pflegepersonal
• Herstellerangaben zur Reinigung und Aufbewahrung von Zahnprothesen