How to give mouth care
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
Good mouth care prevents infections, including pneumonia.
Step by step
Position
Sitting up; unconscious patients on their side with suction ready. [1]
Brush
Soft brush, teeth, gums and tongue, at least twice a day. [1]
Unconscious
Swabs or a soft brush, small amounts of fluid, suction; never your fingers in the mouth. [1]
Dentures
Remove, brush, rinse, store in a labeled cup. [1]
Lips
Moisturize. [1]
Look
Sores, bleeding, white patches; report. [1]
Common errors
- Flat position.
- Too much fluid in unconscious patients.
- Lost dentures (no label).
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Ischemic stroke
- Stroke in the field
- Ventilator patient transfer
- Heat stroke
- Patent foramen ovale
10 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- Open RN, Nursing Fundamentals 2e (CC BY 4.0)
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.