A Comparison of Three Oral Care Products Commonly Used in Practice

This project compared the efficacy, patient satisfaction, and cost of three commonly used oral care products: lemon glycerin swabs, Mot-Stir swabs, and toothettes (pink sponge applicators) and water. Hospitalized adults who were either required to receive nothing by mouth or who required oxygen were asked to participate in the project Once enrolled, the patients were randomly assigned to one of the three oral care groups. Oral assessments were performed daily, and perceptions of oral comfort were solicited from alert patients. Although the sample size was not large enough to reach statistical significance, a few trends were noted. First, the patients' oral condition generally worsened during the first 3 days but then unproved between Days 4 and 5. Moi-Stirper formed better than either lemon glycerin or toothettes and water, as evidenced by lower Day 4-5 scores. Patients generally liked the swab to which they were assigned.