Effectiveness of Oral Health Care in Stroke Patients with Dysphagia: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Objectives: To evaluate the oral health and function of hospitalized stroke patients with dysphagia and assess the effectiveness of an oral health care program during swallowing rehabilitation.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 46 dysphagic stroke patients randomly selected via block randomization from the rehabilitation ward of Chiang Mai Neurological Hospital, Thailand. The control group received usual daily oral hygiene care, while the intervention group followed oral health care program recommendations, including tongue brushing before swallowing therapy data collection covered demographics, oral health status, oral function (oral hygiene, tongue movement, and tongue pressure), swallowing severity, nasogastric feeding duration, and oral comfort. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used for analysis.

Results: Both groups improved swallowing ability. However, the intervention group had a significantly faster nasogastric tube removal rate than the control group (7.8±2.9 vs. 10.6±4.2 days, p<0.05). The intervention group also showed significant improvements in tongue coating index (57.5±15.2 vs. 76.8±9.3, p<0.05), diadochokinesis "ka" (3.4± 0.3 vs. 3.2±0.3 times/second, p<0.05), tongue pressure (15.6±5.0 vs. 11±3.8 kPa, p<0.05), and oral comfort (91.3% vs. 56.5%, p<0.05).

Conclusions: The oral health care program improves oral function and facilitates nasogastric tube removal in stroke patients undergoing swallowing rehabilitation. Healthcare providers should recommend suitable oral health programs to enhance oral function in post-stroke dysphagia rehabilitation.