Evaluation of oral health of patients using inhaler medication due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

EVALUATION OF ORAL HEALTH OF PATIENTS USING INHALER MEDICATION DUE TO CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE This descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the oral health of patients using inhaler medications due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 61 individuals with COPD who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study, among patients who applied to the Chest Diseases Polyclinic and Clinic of Gaziantep Abdulkadir Yüksel State Hospital between December 2023 and January 2024. Data were collected by face-to-face interview method using the Patient Information Form and the Oral Mucosal Membrane Integrity Evaluation and Monitoring Form. The oral mucous membrane evaluation form score varies between a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 24 points, and while a low score indicates good oral health, a high score indicates inadequate oral health. Before starting the study, necessary permissions were obtained from the institution where the study would be conducted, the patients, and the ethics committee. Shapiro Wilk test, t test and Analysis of Variance were used to evaluate the data obtained. p<0.05 was considered significant. The average score of the oral mucous membrane integrity evaluation and monitoring form of the patients was 13.73±2.30, 85% were male, 49.18% were between the ages of 57-69, 88.52% were married, 11.48% were male. It was determined that 100,000 of them were single and 31.15% were illiterate. Of the patients using inhalers, 52.46% reported that the drug they used contained steroids, 88.52% did not brush their teeth regularly, and 93.44% were informed about oral health by healthcare personnel (doctor, nurse, dentist) before using inhaler medication. It was determined that they did not receive any training, 95.08% did not periodically evaluate their oral health, and 62.3% did not do any oral health practices (gargling with water, etc.) after using inhaler drugs. It was determined that there was no relationship between these data and the oral mucous membrane integrity evaluation and monitoring form score, but there was a significant relationship between regular tooth brushing and periodic oral health assessment and the oral mucous membrane integrity evaluation and monitoring form score. In line with these data, it was determined that the average score of the patients' oral mucous membrane integrity evaluation and monitoring form was at a moderate level. Considering these results, it may be recommended that COPD patients using inhaler medications should be informed about oral health before, during and after treatment, and that studies should be conducted to evaluate the relationship between inhaler medication use and oral health. Keywords: COPD; inhaler drug use; oral health; nursing.