Abstract: Objective: To understand the frequency and influence factors of oral cleansing in severe elderly patients with non-intubation in tertiary general hospitals before and after admission, and to provide reference for the development of post-hospital health education programs for elderly patients. Methods: A total of 284 non-intubated elderly patients in neurology and neurosurgery of 6 tertiary general hospitals in 6 cities of Shanxi Province were selected by convenient sampling method. The WHO oral health epidemiological survey program was used for questionnaire survey. Results: (1) Oral hygiene measures before admission: ≥ 2 times per day for brushing and gargle were 26.5% and 19.0%, respectively, and the use of wooden toothpicks, plastic toothpicks, and dental floss habits were 23.1%, 2.6%, and 1.9%, respectively. After admission, the correspondences were 16.0%, 23.9%, 17.2%, 1.5%, and 1.9%, respectively. (3) The frequency of brushing before and after admission was statistically significant (P<0.01). Ordered multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the cultural level, economic level, and self-care ability score (activities of daily Living, ADL) had a significant effect on the frequency of oral cleansing in severe elderly patients with non-intubation after admission (P<0.05). Conclusion: The severe elderly patients with non-intubation are weakened before and after admission. The cultural level, economic level, and self-care ability score have significant influence on the frequency of brushing teeth after admission. The health education should focus on the elderly patients with low cultural level, low economic level, and low self-care ability.

Key words: Non-intubated, Elderly patients, Oral health, Oral hygiene, Hospitalization, Influencing factors