Factors Associated With Oral Health Status and Oral Hygiene Behavior in Patients With Stroke

Background Studies have shown that oral health is closely related to systemic diseases. Poor oral hygiene may lead to dental caries and periodontal disease and also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Patients with stroke have a possibility of recurrence, and good oral health is expected to benefit their general health. Nevertheless, nursing research exploring the oral health and oral hygiene behaviors of stroke patients has been rare. Purpose To explore the factors significantly associated with oral health status and oral hygiene behaviors in patients with stroke. Methods A cross-sectional research design with convenient sampling was used. Information on health promoting behaviors and oral health status was collected in a teaching hospital in southern Taiwan. A multivariate linear regression model was applied to explore the factors associated with oral health status in patients with stroke. Results One hundred and eight-five patients with stroke were enrolled in this study. The average number of real teeth was 11.3 and the average score for oral health status was 4. The univariate analysis showed that being 65 years of age or older, having an education level below primary school, having a lower Barthel index score, having a higher modified Rankin scale score, not brushing and flossing, not having a regular tooth cleaning, having a lower of health promotion score, and having insufficient water intake levels were all associated with a worse oral health status. The stepwise regression analysis showed that factors affecting oral health status include health promotion behaviors, age, tooth brushing, and water intake, which, together, accounted for 28.5% of the total variance. Conclusions / implications for practice The findings indicate that oral health status, oral hygiene behaviors, and health promoting behaviors are inadequate among patients with stroke. Clinicians should promote health-related behaviors early to their patients with stroke, specifically in terms of implementing proper oral hygiene behaviors in daily routine care.