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Oral health care is an essential aspect of nursing care. There are many variances in the quality and frequency of the oral care that is delivered to patients by nursing staff, such as oral care being given a low priority when compared to other nursing care elements, oral care being neglected, and oral care delivery being dependent on the nurse's knowledge of oral hygiene. Additionally, there are some particular patient groups known to be at risk of oral health problems or who have existing oral diseases and conditions. As people age their susceptibility increases to chronic and life-threatening diseases, and they can be at increased risk of acute infections increases compromised by ageing immune systems. The aim of this literature review was to ignite the discussion related to the oral care practices of nurses for older acute medical hospitalised patients. The review revealed that nursing staff know that good nursing includes oral health care, but this knowledge does not always mean that oral health care is administered. Oral health care seems to be separated from other nursing activities and is not discussed when nursing care plans are written, only when oral problems are obvious.

The purpose of this review of the literature is to present a contemporary perspective related to the nursing care of hospitalized mental health patients who have risk of developing oral health issues. Mental illness is a major health concern worldwide. Compounding this health issue, mental health patients/clients demonstrate avoidant behaviours related to oral health, and the symptoms of mental illness can be a compounding factor. Oral health and oral inflammatory disease are the result of lifestyle and behaviour and mental disorders affect both lifestyle and behaviour. The search used the search terms oral health AND nursing AND mental illness AND Published Date 2005 to 2010. For those who experience mental illness oral health assessment is not routinely practised by clinicians. The importance of special attention to dental problems for people with mental disorders has also been stressed by researchers since the lifespan of people with serious mental disorders is shortened compared to the general population. Oral health care is an important part of treatment. Routine oral care for hospitalized patients is imperative, and this is usually the responsibility of nurses without sufficient knowledge in oral care or comprehensive protocols to follow.

The six-item Caring Behaviours Inventory provides a psychometrically tested fundament for reflective clinical discussions on how nurse behaviours facilitate or impede patient experiences of caring. This can benefit quality development in clinical practice as being in tune with patient experiences and expectations is fundamental to high quality services and patient satisfaction.

The aged care policies of many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries reflect free-market principles. In Australia, the recently introduced Consumer Directed Care programme centres on markets in which a range of organisations compete to provide services to community-living elders. As consumers, older people are allocated government funding with which they select and purchase items from their chosen service organisation. This article presents findings from a case study that explored the impacts of this programme on a group of rurally based, not-for-profit providers and consumers. The findings portray the challenges and advantages associated with providing and accessing services in limited rural markets.

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