Oral Health Care Education Research Articles

Exploring dental and oral hygiene students’ interprofessional readiness: a cross-sectional study in joint paediatric outreach training

BackgroundInterprofessional education is vital in oral healthcare education and should be integrated into both theoretical and work-based education. Little research addresses interprofessional education in dental hands-on training in authentic oral healthcare settings. The aim of the study was to examine the readiness and attitudes of dental and oral hygiene students towards interprofessional education during joint paediatric outreach training.MethodsIn the spring of 2022, a cross-sectional study was done involving dental and oral hygiene students using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) during joint paediatric outreach training. The 19-item tool was answered on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, and 5 = strongly agree). Means, standard deviations, minimums, maximums, and medians were calculated for each subscale and overall score. Students grouped according to their categorical variables were compared for statistically significant differences. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used for groups of two and the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis for groups of three or more. The internal consistency of the scale was measured with Cronbach’s alpha. Statistical level was set at 0.05.ResultsThe survey included 111 participants, consisting of 51 oral hygiene students and 60 dental students, with a response rate of 93%. The questionnaire yielded a high overall mean score of 4.2. Both oral hygiene (4.3) and dental students (4.2) displayed strong readiness for interprofessional education measured by the RIPLS. The subscale of teamwork and collaboration achieved the highest score of 4.5. Students lacking prior healthcare education or work experience obtained higher RIPLS scores. Oral hygiene students rated overall items (p = 0.019) and the subscales of positive professional identity (p = < 0.001) and roles and responsibilities (p = 0.038) higher than dental students. The Cronbach’s alpha represented high internal consistency for overall RIPLS scores on the scale (0.812).ConclusionsBoth oral hygiene and dental students perceived shared learning as beneficial and showcased high readiness for interprofessional education, as evident in their RIPLS scores. Integrating interprofessional learning into oral hygiene and dental curricula is important. Studying together can form a good basis for future working life collaboration.

Care workers’ practices in oral healthcare for the elderly : Mediating role of elderly oral healthcare education and behavioral needs

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the impact of care workers’ knowledge of elderly oral health, education on elderly oral healthcare and behavioral needs, awareness of elderly oral healthcare, and actual practices in elderly oral healthcare. Furthermore, it explores the mediating effects of elderly oral healthcare education and behavioral needs on the relationship between awareness and practice. Methods: Data were collected from October 11 to December 29, 2023, from 172 certified care workers employed in nursing hospitals and other workplaces. For analyzing the data, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical regression were conducted using SPSS Statistics 21.0. Results: Elderly oral health knowledge, education and behavioral needs, awareness, and practice were significantly higher among: those aged 51 years and older, female, primarily working in nursing hospitals, with a total career span of 10 years, higher job satisfaction, in organizations prioritizing elderly oral healthcare, and with superior education in elderly oral health. Elderly oral healthcare education and behavioral needs had partial mediating effects on the relationship between care workers’ awareness and practice of elderly oral healthcare. Conclusions: The current practices and challenges in care workers’ oral healthcare for the elderly will be analyzed, and recommendations and strategies for improving practices will be formulated.

Dentists' perspectives on structural and system barriers hindering oral healthcare provision in residential care facilities.

Oral healthcare service is not well integrated with existing healthcare policy in nursing homes (NHs) globally. This qualitative study aimed to identify dentists' perspectives on structural and system barriers that hinder oral healthcare (OHC) provision to seniors in NHs in Singapore and to understand the consequences of these barriers. Nineteen dentists (8 males and 11 females, 36.0 [IQR: 32.0-48.5] years old) were recruited through combination of purposive and snowball sampling. Four focus group discussions were conducted via teleconferencing, and each discussion had 4-5 anonymised participants. Sessions lasted 90-120 min and were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted on data collected using NVivo software (Version12, QRS International). Participants agreed that the current OHC system for seniors in NHs is not well developed. The challenges dentists faced were categorised in three themes: [1] general oral healthcare system level; [2] local nursing home setting level; and [3] geriatric oral healthcare education level. These challenges are complexly intertwined and have contributed to several consequences such as a shortage of dentists in NHs and their diminished motivation to serve. It has also limited the quality of dental service they are able to provide in NHs, contributing to the current poor access of dental services for seniors in NHs. Dentists in Singapore face many structural and systemic barriers in providing OHC to seniors in NHs, some of which are unique to the local context. Newfound understanding of these barriers and its consequences will be helpful in developing strategic approaches to overcome these challenges.

Integrating oral health in the nursing curriculum: Formulating learning objectives using a Delphi-study.

Background. Oral health and oral health care should be an integral part of the standard health care provision for care dependent individuals. Nevertheless, it is often neglected when confronted with limited time for daily hygiene care by caregivers, and it is experienced as difficult, intimate, and sometimes even shameful for both the caregiver and the care dependent person. Previous research revealed that nurses had poor knowledge, skills and attitudes towards oral health. Recently, training programmes in oral health care are being developed for care-organisations and international research is exploring the curriculum of caregivers. This research showed half of the respondents being aware of the relation between oral and general health and did not see the need to incorporate oral health care in the curriculum.&#x0D; Aim. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the extent of oral health care education in the curriculum that is necessary and feasible to make nurses competent to provide good oral health care for dependent persons. This will be translated into learning objectives that can be implemented in the curriculum of nurses.&#x0D; Method. First, to map the proportion of oral health care in the Flemish curricula for nurses, all European Credit Transfer System files (ECTS fiches) were evaluated. In addition, a survey was sent to teachers and curriculum coordinators to ask about the extent of oral health education in their program. Second, a Delphi study will be set up to build a consensus about the relevant oral health topics for nurses. The Delphi study consists of 3 rounds and an additional round with focus groups. Three target groups will be asked to participate: (1) oral health professionals, (2) teachers of the curriculum for nurses, and (3) nurses already employed in the field. A fourth round will discuss the ambivalent topics within and between target groups using several focus groups of important stakeholders.&#x0D; Results. ECTS files of the academic year 2019-2020 were used in the analysis. About half of the organisations who offered a 4-year nursing bachelor mentioned oral health care related topics in their ECTS fiches. The organisations spent a little over 2 hours on oral health care theory and 1.5 hours of practical oral health care training during the 4-year bachelor training or in the school. Lack of time, difficulty of the subject and low relevance were the most important mentioned barriers. A practical training was mentioned about the performance of oral care during their internship. The Delphi study will be carried out between November 2022 and June 2023. Preliminary results will be discussed during the ICIC conference.&#x0D; Discussion. Even though oral health care is an essential part of the daily care for patients, oral health care is seen as not so relevant and it is only minimally covered in their curriculum. With the reported barriers in mind, reaching a consensus between oral health professionals and caregivers is crucial for the introduction of oral health care learning objectives in the curriculum for nursing degrees.

Dental advice for children and young people with congenital heart disease: a survey of cardiac nurses

Background/Aims Optimum oral healthcare and dental education is vital for children and young people with congenital heart disease to reduce the risk of infective endocarditis. The aims of this study were to ascertain the information provided by cardiac nurses regarding preventative dental care for children and young people with congenital heart disease and their families. Methods Data about preventative dental advice were collected via a cross-sectional online survey of children and young people's cardiac nurses, conducted from November 2021–March 2022 and October–November 2022. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit respondents for the study, resulting in responses from 27 cardiac nurses across seven cardiac networks in England. Results Of the 27 participants, 24 (88.9%) gave dental advice to patients and their families, 21 (77.8%) and were moderately or highly confident about providing advice, but just over half (n=14, 51.9%) were unaware of national congenital heart disease dental standards. Three themes emerged from analysis of the survey: educational needs, resource availability and empowerment. Conclusions Despite the relatively low response rate, inconsistencies in the implementation of cardiac standards among different networks were evident. Recommendations include improving access to dental services, improving collaboration between dental and cardiac teams, providing dental education for children and young people's cardiac nurses and giving correct advice to parents to promote optimum dental health for this high-risk group.

Implementation of oral hygiene practices in nursing homes – a qualitative approach among supervisor nurses

Objectives This study describes daily oral health care in private enhanced service housing units and nursing homes in Finland using a qualitative method. Methods Nineteen supervisor nurses were interviewed in the six largest cities in Finland. The interviews consisted of semi-structured questions. The interviews were then transcribed and analyzed using inductive content analysis. Results The qualitative content analysis revealed five main categories: diet, education in the oral health of older people, oral care equipment and taking care of them, caring for the mouths of residents, and professional oral health care. The results revealed that sugary snacks were given daily in the units and there was a need for oral health care education. The dental equipment of residents was taken care of well and the oral health of the residents was taken care of moderately well. Furthermore, there was a need for co-operation between dental professionals and only half of the residents had an individual oral care plan. Conclusions It can be concluded that based on this qualitative study, the implementation of daily oral health care in most nursing homes and enhanced housing units seems to be at a sufficient level and more oral health-related practical and theoretical education is needed.

Development and psychometric testing of the attitude and confidence with oral healthcare among nursing students (ACORN) scale

AimTo develop and test the psychometric properties of the attitude and confidence with oral healthcare among nursing students (ACORN) scale. BackgroundDelivering oral healthcare is an essential component of care, which is often overlooked and omitted. A nurse’s attitude or confidence may influence how oral healthcare is prioritised. To date, there are no scales that assess both attitude and confidence for nurses when undertaking oral healthcare and thus the ACORN scale was developed. MethodsThe 24-item scale was developed following a three-stage process, which included concept identification and item construction, pilot testing, factorial and discriminant validity and reliability testing. The survey was distributed to nursing students to assess their attitude and confidence in providing oral healthcare. This study has been registered with the Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies (12940.1v1). ResultsUsing a before and after intervention survey design, the psychometric properties of the ACORN scale were examined with data collected from two student groups. Exploratory Factor Analysis yielded a two-factor structure, which was verified using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Importantly, aggregated scale scores were able to detect differences in attitude and confidence following oral healthcare education (4.95 versus 5.66, p < 0.01). The Cronbach’s alpha for the 24-item scale was 0.94. ConclusionThe ACORN scale is a valid and reliable tool that can be used to assess differences in attitude and confidence of students following oral health education. Further research is recommended to test the utility of this scale using other educational interventions with different groups of healthcare providers.

A mobile augmented reality-integrated oral health education for community dwelling older adults: A pilot study

Providing oral healthcare education can be an optimal strategy for imparting knowledge and developing self-care skills for older adults to enhance their oral health conditions. However, traditional passive lecture-based education programs have several limitations. Integrating mobile augmented reality (MAR) into oral health education can potentially enhance the effectiveness of the education by mitigating those limitations. The objectives of this study are to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of MAR-integrated oral health education. The objectives of this study were to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of MAR-integrated oral health education. Twenty-four older adults from community dwellings participated in this study. The participants received MAR-integrated oral health education once at activity centers. Self-report questionnaires were utilized to assess oral healthcare-related knowledge and self-efficacy, and the usability score of the MAR system. The assessment was conducted before and after the educational program. Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired-t test. The mean scores of oral healthcare-related knowledge and self-efficacy showed a significant increase after the educational program, with P-values of <0.001 and 0.002, respectively. A majority of the participants exhibited a lack of knowledge and self-efficacy regarding the proper selection of toothpaste and interdental brushes. However, there was an improvement after the intervention. The usability score of the system was lower than the average level. MAR-integrated oral health education effectively increases oral health-related knowledge and self-efficacy among community dwelling older adults. Still, the usability of the MAR system needs to be improved. Further investigation of long-term effects and clinical outcomes, and the inclusion of comparative groups are recommended for the future study.

The Participation of Pediatric Dentists in Oral Health Promotion and Education in Serbia.

To identify the involvement of Serbian paediatric dentists in oral health promotion and education, and to propose further actions for the improvement of these activities. This is an analysis of data collected by a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey of 445 dentists involved in the provision of dental health services to children at the primary healthcare level. We explored dentists' involvement in oral health education and promotion and the cooperation with other health professionals at the healthcare centre and the community level as well as their attitudes towards the importance of some factors influencing their work. Dentists estimate their cooperation with different services with ratings higher than 3 on the scale of 1 to 5. They reported the highest satisfaction in cooperation with paediatric services for preschool and schoolchildren (4.0±1.0). At the community level, they reported excellent cooperation with kindergartens (4.4±0.8), while collaboration with Roma health mediators (3.14±1.34) and nongovernmental organizations (2.5±1.4) received lower ratings. According to the average rating (4.7±0.7), dentists perceive the motivation of patients and/or their guardians for keeping good oral health as the factor with the highest importance for the quality of interventions they provide. Dentists involved in the provision of dental healthcare for children and adolescents in primary healthcare centres in Serbia participate in different oral healthcare education and promotion activities in the community, and highlight the importance of strengthening cooperation with healthcare and other professionals and services aimed at vulnerable population groups, both within the health sector and nongovernmental organizations.

Evaluation of a co-designed educational e-resource about oral health for community nurses: study protocol

BackgroundOral health is a crucial aspect of health and wellbeing for older people. Poor oral health has been found to significantly increase the risk of chronic health conditions and poor quality of life for older people. Nurses practicing in the community are well-placed to provide oral health care to older people in their own homes, yet there has been little research in this field to develop accessible support for them to do so. Previous literature, reviewed in an earlier phase of this work, revealed that there has, historically, been a paucity of oral health care education for nurses and very few educational resources have been developed in this field.MethodsThis study will evaluate an educational e-resource which has been co-designed by service users, carers and clinicians. In the first phase of research, evidence of promise will be evaluated by analysing quantitative data on community nurses’ oral health attitudes and self-efficacy for oral health assessments of older people. In the second phase of research, facilitators and barriers to community nurses’ provision of oral health care to older people and the acceptability of the educational e-resource will be evaluated.DiscussionThis research will investigate the potential of an educational e-resource to improve community nurses’ capabilities to deliver oral health care to older people in their own homes. This research will inform both future intervention design and understanding of community nurses’ knowledge and attitudes about oral health care. Facilitators and barriers to provision of this care for older people will also be explored.

"Biophotonics" - The Urgently Needed New Discipline in Oral Healthcare Education!

"Biophotonics" - The Urgently Needed New Discipline in Oral Healthcare Education!

Experience of the Students after Transition from Preclinical Fixed Prosthodontic Training to Clinical Phase Survey

Introduction: Accurate preclinical prosthodontics training is a part of curriculum monitored so that the preclinical students perform the operation with much attention and care enabling the educators to improve the preclinical training. The aim of the study is to assess the students’ preclinical knowledge and skills of fixed prosthodontic training after transition to clinical training. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire survey is conducted among the students involved in clinical practice of the fixed partial dentures. Results: All 100% of the students were aware of the importance of the abutment evaluation before tooth preparation. Hundred percent of the students performed radiograph evaluation of the tooth and 47% of them expressed difficulty in correlating pulp size and position of the tooth radiographically. The majority of the students (84, 84%) thought that there is much difference in the tactile sense between natural teeth and typodont teeth. Pulp health preservation is vital for all restorative procedures; hence, this response from the students should be considered more carefully. More than half of the respondents, 74 students (74%), thought that clinical variation of tooth position is a difficult challenge during the transition stage. Tooth position variations such as supra-eruption, tilting, and drifting are common in the clinical situation which cannot be simulated in the preclinical training. However, most of the students feel that it was a formidable challenge in the initial stage of clinical training. Conclusion: Preclinical training is the most challenging for the educationist. Managing the transition for students from preclinical learning to providing patient care in the clinic is an important issue for oral health-care educators

Patterns of Parental Information Seeking Behavior on Early Childhood Caries: A Qualitative Exploration.

This study aims to explore the information-seeking behavior patterns of parents with children receiving treatment for early childhood caries (ECC). Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 parents of children with ECC. A topic guide was developed, focusing on questions relating to (i) the timing of their seeking information on ECC, (ii) the types of EEC information they seek, and (iii) the resources used to seek information. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was performed, whereby the data were coded and categorized into themes and subthemes. Four main themes were identified: the immediacy of seeking information, perceived information need, use of resources, and barriers to seeking information. Parents either sought information immediately after detecting changes to the appearance of their child's teeth, with some being aware of the changes after signs and symptoms developed. The types of information parents usually sought covered the disease, its prevention, and management. Common sources of information were friends, family, the internet, and healthcare professionals. Barriers to seeking information discussed by parents were lack of time as well as insufficiency and inaccuracy of the information they received. This study highlighted the need for comprehensive, tailored early education on ECC for parents using reliable information sources. There is also a need to empower other nondental healthcare professionals to provide oral healthcare education for parents.

The effect of oral healthcare education on caregivers of physically and mentally disabled individuals

Background: Special physical and mental conditions of disabled individuals are burdens to their utilization of proper oral healthcare. Their caregivers can be influential in improving their oral health status. This study sought to assess the effect of oral healthcare education on the knowledge, attitude, and practice of caregivers of physically and mentally disabled individuals. Methods: This quasi-experimental study evaluated 68 caregivers of physically and mentally disabled individuals selected from disability rehabilitation centers in Tehran by convenience sampling. A validated questionnaire was designed for data collection, including questions on demographics, knowledge, attitude, and practice of caregivers. A brochure was also designed to cover the content of the educational intervention, and the relevant topics were taught to caregivers using the face-to-face method. A pretest-posttest method was used for effectiveness assessment. All the caregivers filled out the questionnaire before and 3 months after the educational interventions. The pretest and posttest scores were compared using the Wilcoxon test and paired t test. Results: Sixty-three caregivers participated in this study, 80% of whom were women and 94% had more than one year of work experience. The results showed that the mean score of their knowledge (from 1.2±0.82 to 4.82±0.35), attitude (from 2.38±0.69 to 5.61±0.75), and practice (from 0.59±0.41 to 4.93±0.65) increased significantly after the intervention, which indicates the effectiveness of the intervention (P&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Educational intervention can significantly enhance the knowledge, attitude, and practice of caregivers of physically and mentally disabled individuals. This can, in turn, help improve the oral health status of the disabled individuals under their care.

A Survey of Oral Assessment and Healthcare Education at Nursing Schools in Japan

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the performance of oral assessment and health care education at nursing schools across Japan to identify problems and the need for oral health professional support. MethodsThe participants were the academic staff in charge of oral health care education in the basic, adult, gerontological, and home nursing fields of 295 schools in Japan that offered a bachelor's degree in nursing. A questionnaire was sent to 1180 heads of the nursing fields of these schools. They were requested to have oral health care educators complete the survey; data on the performance of oral assessment and health care education and human resources allocated were collected through a questionnaire. ResultsA total of 311 (26%) questionnaires were returned, 196 (63%) of which were completed by oral health care educators. Regarding the performance of oral assessment education, the majority (71%) of them spent less than 2 hours in teaching, and only 24.5% taught the usage of oral assessment tools. Regarding the performance of oral health care education, more than 90% spent less than 2 hours in lecture-based and practical oral health care education, respectively. Less than half taught the association of periodontal diseases with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and use of fluoride for caries prevention in the lectures, and only approximately 30% taught the usage of an interspace brush or dental floss. Moreover, less than 10% of oral health professionals taught oral health care in lectures or practical oral health care. ConclusionsThis study revealed problems associated with oral assessment and health care education in Japanese nursing schools. To address these, support from oral health care professionals is required. Further studies are also required to reveal problems in oral assessment and health care education in other nursing schools that do not offer a bachelor's degree programme in Japan and other countries.

Geriatric oral health care content and barriers to its incorporation in undergraduate nursing curricula: New Zealand survey.

An increasingly older population demands major remodeling of our health care system. Older adults are most likely to be affected by the oral-systemic connection due to their impairment in functional capacity and reduced ability to undertake routine oral care. An economic way to improve oral health outcomes in older populations is by involving nurses and caregivers in ensuring the maintenance of oral health for older adults. This study aimed to investigate the present educational content relevant to the oral health of older adults, the oral-systemic connection, and assessment methods in New Zealand nursing education. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among nursing educators to understand the extent of oral health care education. Quantitative descriptive data were analyzed using SPSS software and qualitative data were analyzed descriptively and presented as themes. The results indicated that the majority of oral health topics were already incorporated into nursing education, however most important topics such as risk factors associated with dental caries, periodontal health, and risk factors are not taught in almost 40% of the schools. The four themes identified in qualitative analyses are "no barrier", "lack of expertise", "no space for more content" and oral health content "already included". Educators reported that oral health topics are already incorporated into New Zealand undergraduate nursing curricula. However, the quantity and quality of oral health content relevant to older adults need to be improved and updated to suit the current oral health care needs of the growing older population.

Periodontal Health Status of Pregnant Women Attending Three Ante-Natal Clinics in Accra, Ghana

Objective:To assess the periodontal health status of pregnant Ghanaian women at different gestation periods.Methodology: A cross-sectional study involving two hundred pregnant women attending the ante-natal clinic at Ussher polyclinics was done. Data was obtained by use of a questionnaire and on-site periodontal examination. Variables determined included the socio-demographic characteristics and Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) of study participants. A summary description of variables was presented, and cross-tabulations was used to compare responses among the three trimesters.Results: About one third, (38%) of the study participants were in the third decade of life, with a majority (55%) having had formal education to the basic level. While 72% of women had never seen a dentist, nearly three-quarters (76.2%) had a CPITN of 2 or more.Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of periodontal disease among pregnant women. Healthcare professionals should therefore consider oral healthcare referrals and education for pregnant women.

The design, development and usability testing of a smartphone-based mobile system for management of children’s oral health

The aim of the study was to design and develop a mobile system for better management of children's oral health by using the internet technology. This study was followed in a three-step approach. (1) Design stage: participatory design (including patients, dentists and computer scientists) was taken in order to adapt the system to the clinical practice of dentistry; (2) Development stage: dentists and computer scientists were involved in this stage to develop the system by using internet technology; (3) Usability testing stage: the quality (MARS), usability (SUS) and satisfaction of the system were assessed by children's caregivers. The system contains patient-side app, doctor-side app and Web side program for manager. Children and their caregivers could acquire many useful services through the app, such as oral healthcare education, brushing management, dietary record, online consultation, online appointment, feedback of adverse events. The overall value of SUS was 67.75. The final quality mean score was 3.44 ± 0.95, with the highest mean score of functionality. The majority of caregivers were satisfied with the system. They expressed the system could improve the current medical services and their oral health literacy.

Knowledge of nursing graduates on oral health care for older people in the long-term care.

Oral health self-care deteriorates in older adults due to a decreasing level of cognition increasing disability and/or a reduction in manual dexterity. Older adults in hospital care or residential care therefore increasingly need assistance for oral health care. There is an increase in dentate patients entering residential care due to advances in dentistry. It is suggested therefore that nurses in aged care increasingly need advanced knowledge to care for their older dentate patients to prevent and minimize progression of oral diseases, given the impact of poor oral health on general health. The current study was conducted to investigate the oral health care knowledge of nursing graduates across Aotearoa New Zealand. A cross-sectional study was conducted among third year nursing graduates in 18 nursing institutes in New Zealand. Oral health care knowledge and oral-systemic connection knowledge, and predictors of oral health care knowledge were investigated. Total 148 students participated in the student's survey, making it 15% of 2020 graduates. The students' survey results suggested that nursing graduates have good basic oral health knowledge, however, their knowledge of the oral-systemic disease connection and the value of an examination of the oral cavity were poor. The oral health care knowledge of nursing students and their ability to care for older adults relies on oral health care education in their nursing programs. A revision of curricula to improve oral health education in nursing programs is strongly recommended.

Cross-sectional study of oral health care service, oral health beliefs and oral health care education of caregivers in nursing homes

ObjectivesTo assess oral care beliefs and oral hygiene procedures among nursing home personnel to identify strengths and weaknesses in managing oral care. MethodsA cross-sectional study in two nursing homes using an oral health care questionnaire including the Nursing Dental Coping Belief Scale. ResultsA total of 109 health personnel participated. Oral care was seldomly achieved twice a day and dental supplies were not guaranteed. Registered nurses found the oral health of residents more acceptable than did allied health personnel with less oral care education, who mostly delivered daily care. Conversely, nursing staff with oral care education had lower dental coping beliefs, suggesting a lack of self-reliance in controlling oral health outcomes. ConclusionDental supplies should be part of nursing care equipment. Educational programs could increase positive oral health beliefs and enhance the quality of care in these settings, particularly among those who are accountable for oral care.