During mouth care with teeth, at what point are gloves applied?

During mouth care with teeth, at what point are gloves applied?

• A. Before brushing teeth
• B. After placing towel
• C. Before turning the bed
• D. After brushing

Answer: (A)

The main idea is infection control: protective gloves must be on before you touch the resident or anything that will contact the mouth. Mouth care with teeth involves saliva and mucous membranes, so wearing gloves prevents transfer of germs to you and from you to the resident. Therefore, you apply gloves before brushing the teeth. After putting on gloves, you can proceed with towel placement and the brushing action, then remove gloves and perform hand hygiene when finished. Wearing gloves after placing a towel or after brushing would not protect during the actual mouth contact, and turning the bed is not related to PPE use for this task.

The main idea is infection control: protective gloves must be on before you touch the resident or anything that will contact the mouth. Mouth care with teeth involves saliva and mucous membranes, so wearing gloves prevents transfer of germs to you and from you to the resident. Therefore, you apply gloves before brushing the teeth. After putting on gloves, you can proceed with towel placement and the brushing action, then remove gloves and perform hand hygiene when finished. Wearing gloves after placing a towel or after brushing would not protect during the actual mouth contact, and turning the bed is not related to PPE use for this task.