By supporting daily care of teeth and gums you help a person to keep their mouth and body healthy.
By encouraging healthy food and drink choices, you can help someone reduce their risk of tooth decay.
Regular check-ups are important not just for any necessary treatment, but also get advice and support to help prevent oral disease.
Use the table below as a guide to what a healthy/unhealthy mouth can look like. Always make a dental appointment if you or the person you support are unsure or have any concerns.
IdealNo action required |
WatchIf there is no improvement in 1-2 weeks, see an oral health professional |
ActMake a dental appointment |
|---|---|---|
| Lips | ||
| Smooth, pink, moist | Dry, chapped or red at corners | Lump/s OR white or red patches OR bleeding ulcers |
| Tongue | ||
| Normal roughness, pink, moist | Coated, smooth, patchy, deep cracks or some redness | Red, smooth, white or red patches OR ulcers, swelling |
| Saliva | ||
| The inside of the mouth is wet | A little bit of saliva is present OR person reports a dry mouth | The inside of the mouth is dry and red OR thick ropey saliva OR person reports a dry mouth |
| Natural teeth | ||
| No decayed or broken teeth | 1 or more decayed or broken teeth OR chalky white patches indicating early decay | |
| Dentures | ||
| No broken areas, worn most of the time, no/little yellow/brown build up | Worn for eating or cosmetic reasons only | 1 or more broken areas OR missing tooth OR missing or never worn |
| Overall mouth | ||
| Clean with no food pieces or build up in the mouth | Food pieces OR white/yellow/brown build up on 1-2 places in the mouth |
Food particles OR white/yellow/brown build up in most areas in the mouth |
| Pain | ||
| No signs of pain | Changed behaviour that could be due to pain | Person reports pain OR physical signs (eg swollen cheek or gum) OR behavioural signs (hitting/pulling at face, not eating) |
Download this table as a pdf file via the Resources page
Template adapted from the Oral Health Network EMR (May 2016)
Content based on the Kayser-Jones Brief Oral Health Status Examination (200
Don’t wait for a problem! Everyone should see an oral health professional regularly for check-ups.
