Oral health is an important aspect of general health. However, deterioration of oral health is reported among hospitalised patients.
Oral hygiene of children in hospital is often overlooked, because the children are suffering from fatigue and weariness. This may affect a child’s nutrition and could impact their recovery. Improving oral care in hospital is essential to maintaining a healthy oral condition and to reduce the risk of ventilator associated pneumonia in intubated patients.
Mini Mouth Care Matters is a training initiative launched in Alder Hey to empower medical and allied medical healthcare professionals to support children and young people in maintaining optimum oral health during a hospital stay.
The initiative, looking at ensuring good oral hygiene, measures brushing and good diet choices. It also provides mouthcare packs for children and young people on our wards. Mouthcare packs include; toothbrushes, toothpaste, suction toothbrush and special toothpaste for children with sensory issues.
Alder Hey, with the support of Liverpool City Council and Alder Hey Children’s Charity, has produced several videos to support families and children in improving oral health while in the hospital, which you can watch below.
Oral health
Diet
We hope to encourage everyone to prioritise oral health care to maintain healthy smile. If your child not registered with a dentist, we encourage you to do this. You can find your nearest dentist at: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist