Effectiveness of 0.2% chlorhexidine and oral routine care in terms of oral health status and oral microbiological colony count of self care deficit clients, Experimental study

Abstract

Oral care is a vital component of holistic nursing in hospitalized patients and its provision influences the overall wellbeing of patients. Aim: To compare the effectiveness of 0.2% chlorhexidine and oral routine care in terms of oral health status and oral microbiological colony count of self care deficit clients. Setting and Design: Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (MMIMSR t= 8.90; df=58; p = 0.001). The mean oral microbiological colony count of Candida (50.93 versus 217.37 ), Moraxella Catarrhalis (44.70 versus 185.83 ), Alpha Hemolytic Streptococci (52.77 versus 183.80), Klebsilla (55.63 versus 178.10) and CoNS (64.5 versus 186.60 ) was significantly lower in experimental group than control group ( p <0.05). No significant association was found among levels of oral health status and levels of oral microbiological colony count with selected demographic and clinical variables. Conclusion: 0.2% chlorhexidine was more effective than oral routine care in improving oral health status and decreasing oral microbiological colony count among self care deficit clients.