Rochdale is promoting better mouth hygiene in older people

As part of the Oral Health Improvement for the Elderly Programme in Rochdale borough, care home staff, nurses, support staff and carers are being trained how to clean the mouths of patients

Rochdale is promoting better mouth hygiene in older people not just to improve smiles but to save lives.

It’s the only borough in Greater Manchester to have spent on a programme training care home, care worker, community service and hospital staff to clean and check the mouths of vulnerable and older people to reduce the likelihood of them contracting pneumonia and even dementia.

Oral health means more than having ‘good teeth’. Studies show a link between poor oral hygiene and particularly aspiration pneumonia which is caused when bacteria in the mouth is inhaled into the lungs. If left untreated, this can lead to further infection in the lining of the lungs and serious breathing difficulties.

Similarly poor oral health is linked to conditions where the brain function is impaired including Alzheimer’s. Both conditions are a major contributor to serious ill health in older people and the cause of multiple emergency hospital admissions that could be avoided.

Leading national oral hygiene expert Emma Riley who has over 25 years’ experience in oral health and chairs the Society of British Dental Nurses is leading the educational and training programme in Rochdale borough, which is a joint venture between Rochdale Borough Council and NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group.

She said: “Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group and Rochdale Borough Council are taking oral hygiene seriously as a means of preventing ill health in older and vulnerable people. This programme is an exciting opportunity to make a real impact on preventing the kinds of illnesses that we know poor mouth hygiene can cause. 

"We need more people to realise that mouths can become a breeding ground for all kinds of harmful bacteria which can cause illnesses particularly  in older and vulnerable people. We are showing care home staff, nurses, support staff and carers how to clean the mouths of patients that they care for.

"The mouth is often forgotten about in existing hygiene regimes.  It is just as important to clean the mouth regardless of whether the patient has no, some or all of their natural teeth remaining. Harmful bacteria can be removed from mouths with few or no teeth by cleaning the gums and tissues with a soft baby toothbrush and a small amount of fluoride paste twice a day.”

Ensuring the mouth is clean and healthy is also an important way for patients to continue eating and drinking enough fluids to maintain their health.

“All too often we see patients who have stopped eating and drinking and sometimes talking, because they have a problem in their mouth that is not receiving attention. The mouth is the gateway to a person’s body and so it’s essential that it is healthy and clean.”

Training in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale’s nursing homes has been happening since December last year. Oral hygiene champions based at the homes will ensure that any new staff are shown how to clean the mouths of residents when they start employment.

Further stages of the training programme will train nurses and support staff at Springhill Hospice and Rochdale Infirmary. The programme is the first of its kind in Greater Manchester and links into the Greater Manchester Nutrition and Hydration Project, which aims to identify and address malnutrition and dehydration in the 65+ population.