Oral care is a common way of caring for long-term care facility residents, particularly for those with swallowing difficulties, as oral health is closely related to eating function. Oral care includes general oral hygiene and comprehensive oral care (including cleaning, facial massage, oral muscle massage and stretching, and oral moisturizing). Regular oral care can reduce oral diseases, improve oral mucosa, increase appetite, and improve eating function. However, it is still unclear whether comprehensive oral care can improve eating function and aid in removing nasogastric tubes. Therefore, this study plans to recruit residents with dysphagia from multiple long-term care facilities nationwide to investigate the impact of comprehensive oral care on nasogastric tube removal. The study will collect basic information, disease diagnosis, and onset time and use random grouping to investigate the effects of general oral hygiene and oral care on nasogastric tube removal. The results of this study can provide guidance for clinical practitioners and researchers on oral care and eating function improvement for long-term care facility residents.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years or older, with swallowing disorders classified as grades 1-3 on the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS).
• Conscious and alert.
• Able to follow simple one-step commands (e.g., raising a hand, opening the mouth).
• Able to maintain a seated position for more than 15 minutes.
• Has a swallowing reflex (able to swallow saliva on command).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Acute infection.
• Hypoxemia (SaO2 < 90%) or requiring the use of a ventilator.
• Structural abnormalities of the oropharyngeal area that prevent oral feeding.
• Failing the water swallow test (coughing or wet voice in two or more out of three attempts, or no significant laryngeal elevation).