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Objective: To investigate oral health changes and its associated factors during hospitalization in individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI).Material and Methods: Sixty-one individuals were recruited to evaluate the acute changes in oral health by performing plaque, calculus, bleeding on probing (BOP) and bedside oral examination (BOE) at week 1 and week 5. Individuals’ brushing habits, eating difficulties, onset of pneumonia etc. were retrieved from e-journal. Association between oral-health outcomes to systemic variables were investigated through multilevel regression models.Results: Dental plaque (P=0.01) and total BOE score (P<0.05) decreased over time but not the calculus (P=0.30), BOP (P=0.06) and increase in tooth brushing frequency (P=0.06). Reduction in plaque, and BOE over time were negatively associated with higher score of periodontitis at baseline (coef. -6.8; -1.0, respectively), which in turn were associated with an increased proportion of BOP (coef. ≈ 15.0). Increased proportion of calculus was associated with eating difficulties (coef. 2.3) and onset of pneumonia (coef. 6.2).Conclusions: Nursing care has been fundamental in improving oral health but non-significant improvement in calculus, BOP and brushing frequency indicates a need for development in existing oral care program through academic-clinical partnership keeping eating difficulties and patients’ vegetative and cognitive state in consideration.

Oral health is an essential component for general health and wellbeing and greatly influences social life. However, it has been ignored and neglected in routine medical practice for decades. 1 Studies have shown that dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) and orofacial dysfunction, along with poor oral health, increase the risk of pneumonia due to aspiration of oral pathogens formed by inadequate