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Aims: The purpose of this study was to construct a model for oral assessment using deep learning image recognition technology and to verify its accuracy. Background: The effects of oral care on older people are significant, and the Oral Assessment Guide has been used internationally as an effective oral assessment tool in clinical practice. However, additional training, education, development of user manuals and continuous support from a dental hygienist are needed to improve the inter‐rater reliability of the Oral Assessment Guide. Design: A retrospective observational study. Methods: A total of 3,201 oral images of 114 older people aged >65 years were collected from five dental‐related facilities. These images were divided into six categories (lips, tongue, saliva, mucosa, gingiva, and teeth or dentures) that were evaluated by images, out of the total eight items that comprise components of the Oral Assessment Guide. Each item was classified into a rating of 1, 2 or 3. A convolutional neural network, which is a deep learning method used for image recognition, was used to construct the image recognition model. The study methods comply with the STROBE checklist. Results: We constructed models with a classification accuracy of 98.8% for lips, 94.3% for tongue, 92.8% for saliva, 78.6% for mucous membranes, 93.0% for gingiva and 93.6% for teeth or dentures. Conclusions: Highly accurate diagnostic imaging models using convolutional neural networks were constructed for six items of the Oral Assessment Guide and validated. In particular, for the five items of lips, tongue, saliva, gingiva, and teeth or dentures, models with a high accuracy of over 90% were obtained. Relevance to Clinical Practice: The model built in this study has the potential to contribute to obtain reproducibility and reliability of the ratings, to shorten the time for assessment, to collaborate with dental professionals and to be used as an educational tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In aging society like Japan, maintaining the quality of life (QOL) is an important objective. The oral cavity has various significant functions that contribute to the QOL. Elderly people are susceptible to the swallowing disorders owing to various factors associated with advancing age. In such cases, mealtime assistance can provide elderly persons appropriate eating situations. Thus, mealtime assistance skills are essential for students in nursing and caregiver education. Recently, simulation education has attracted attention as an effective educational process for nursing and caregiver students before their clinical practice in a hospital or care house. In this educational process, a patient model that mimics specific symptoms called the simulation model, is used to learn the symptoms and its care process in the same clinical environment as actual. We have attempted to develop several oral care simulation models, and we have earlier developed a prototype of mealtime assistance simulation model. This simulation model had a tongue model with a sensor system to detect spoon motions, and its fundamental functions were evaluated via spoon detection experiments. Based on the earlier achievements, in this study, we develop an evaluation system of feeding skill using a spoon. The pressing force and position by spoon on the tongue model were estimated by transfer functions derived from experiments. In addition, we developed an algorithm that leads students' spoon position and pressing force in the correct position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Nurses' skills and confidence in providing oral care to patients play important roles in healthcare. Studies have proved that peer‐to‐peer learning and assessment can help improve nurses' skills and confidence. However, no study has investigated it using an objective assessment checklist. This study investigated an oral hygiene practice training program for nursing students. It focused on their oral healthcare skills, confidence, and perspectives regarding implementing an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Methods: A pre‐ and post‐survey of 97 nursing students from a nursing school in Japan was conducted as a peer‐to‐peer oral health education training program that included an assessment and performance checklist. Results: Confidence in performing and assessing oral care significantly improved after attending the program. Furthermore, the changes were significantly greater in the developed program than in the training program without the checklist. The mean total assessment scores (0–25) of the first, second, third, and fourth participants in the four‐student groups were 22.1, 23.4, 23.9, and 24.1, respectively. The mean scores of the second, third, and fourth participant groups were significantly higher than that of the first participant group (p <.01). Fifty‐two positive and 58 negative comments were received regarding the implementation of the program with professional assessments and the checklist. The most common positive comment mentioned that the evaluation by professionals improved oral care learning and skills. Conclusions: This study developed a program to improve nursing students' confidence and oral care delivery skill building in an OSCE‐style delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral care is crucial to preventing diseases and maintaining the quality of life of elderly people. To create an effective training environment for nursing students, we developed a second prototype of an oral care simulator that can guide and record oral care practices. The simulator has three components: (1) a dentition model with pressure sensors, (2) a microcomputer to record signals, and (3) software for visualization. We proposed a novel mechanism to detect brushing behavior using pressure sensors and developed software to visualize the records of oral care practice. We calibrated the system to estimate the weights applied in the dentition model using a brush and verified that the calibration increased the accuracy of the estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study sought to investigate the current status and faculty members' perceptions of oral care education in Bachelor of Nursing curriculums in Japan. Method: Data were gathered through a questionnaire survey of 196 participants, who were faculty members in charge of oral care education in the basic, adult, gerontological, and home nursing fields, from 295 nursing schools that offered Bachelor degrees in nursing across Japan. Results: The quantitative data showed that 38.5% of the participants worked for less than 5 years as oral care educators, only 15.5% taught oral care in perioperative wards, only 62.2% used an oral care training simulator, and less than 30% believed that training in the prevention of oral diseases should be enhanced. From the descriptive responses, this study identified such problems as the inability of students to perform student‐on‐student and patient‐based oral care training owing to the risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission, and the lack of teaching materials, time, and human resources, and cooperation with other nursing fields and health professionals. Conclusions: This study revealed several problems in oral care education in the Bachelor of Nursing curriculums in Japan. To tackle these challenges, this study suggests the development of an interdisciplinary course that unifies oral care education in nursing fields, in order to promote collaborative oral care education and to improve nursing students' knowledge and skills of oral care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]