Oral hygiene to a hospitalized dependent patient: perceptions of a nursing team

Abstract

Objective: To discuss the perception of the nursing team about the oral hygiene of hospitalized dependent patients. Method: A descriptive, qualitative study performed in the medical and surgical clinics of a hospital in the interior of Bahia, from March to July 2006, data obtained through a semistructured interview applied to seventeen participants, complemented by structured observation. Outcome: After analyzing the thematic content emerged three categories that reveal: oral hygiene as important care for the patient; oral hygiene avoids the discomfort of the team in providing other care; and oral hygiene can be delegated to the family. Conclusion: In the context studied there is no protocol for this care, odors from the patient's mouth define their periodicity, oral hygiene is performed by family members and nurses do not participate directly in this care.