Oral health assessment tool
Organise for resident to have a dental examination by a dentist
Resident and/or family or guardian refuses dental treatment
Complete oral hygiene care plan and start oral hygiene care
interventions for resident
Review this resident’s oral health again on date:
Lips:
Smooth, pink,
moist
Dry, chapped, or red at
corners
Swelling or lump, white, red
or ulcerated patch; bleeding
or ulcerated at corners
Saliva:
Moist tissues, watery and
free owing saliva
Dry, sticky tissues, little saliva
present, resident thinks they
have a dry mouth
Tissues parched and red,
little or no saliva present,
saliva is thick, resident thinks
they have a dry mouth
Tongue:
Normal, moist roughness,
pink
Patchy, ssured, red,
coated
Patch that is red and/or
white, ulcerated, swollen
Natural teeth Yes/No:
No decayed or
broken teeth or roots
1–3 decayed or broken teeth or
roots or very worn down teeth
4+ decayed or broken teeth or
roots, or very worn down teeth,
or less than 4 teeth
Dental pain:
No behavioural, verbal,
or physical signs of
dental pain
There are verbal and/or
behavioural signs of pain
such as pulling at face,
chewing lips, not eating,
aggression
There are physical pain
signs (swelling of cheek or
gum, broken teeth, ulcers),
as well as verbal and/or
behavioural signs (pulling at
face, not eating,
aggression)
0
1
2
0
1
2
0
1
2
Oral cleanliness:
Clean and no food particles
or tartar in mouth or
dentures
Food particles, tartar or
plaque in 1–2 areas of the
mouth or on small area of
dentures or halitosis (bad
breath)
Food particles, tartar or
plaque in most areas of
the mouth or on most
of dentures or severe
halitosis (bad breath)
Dentures Yes/No:
No broken areas or teeth,
dentures regularly worn, and
named
1 broken area or tooth or
dentures only worn for 1–2 hours
daily, or dentures not named, or
loose
More than 1 broken area or tooth,
denture missing or not worn, loose
and needs denture adhesive, or
not named
0
1
2
0
1
2
0
1
2
0
1
2
Resident: Completed by: Date:
Scores – You can circle individual words as well as giving a score in each category
(* if 1 or 2 scored for any category please organise for a dentist to examine the resident)
0 = healthy 1 = changes* 2 = unhealthy*
Gums and tissues:
Pink, moist, smooth,
no bleeding
Dry, shiny, rough, red, swollen,
1 ulcer or sore spot under
dentures
Swollen, bleeding, ulcers,
white/red patches, generalised
redness under dentures
0
1
2
TOTAL:
SCORE: 16
With kind permission of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Source: AIHW Caring for oral
health in Australian residential care (2009).
Modied from Kayser-Jones et al. (1995) by Chalmers (2004).
