Table 1 Clinical Oral Assessment Chart.Recreated with reference to the original COACH chart [8]

○:No problem

△:Cautious

×:Problematic

Participants continue current care

Caregivers consider asking a specialist for assessment when no improvement is seen

Participants need treatment or intervention by a specialist

Participants easily open mouth for care

• Participants refuse to open mouth

• Caregivers can open mouth manually with 2 fingerbreadths

Caregivers open mouth with < 1 fingerbreadth because of tooth clenching and contracture of temporomandibular joint

None

Caregivers sense bad breath when approaching the oral cavity

Caregivers sense a smell of bad breath in a room

None

Decline in swallowing reflex is suspected but no drooling

Drooling (because of decline in swallowing reflex)

▪ No friction in mucosa on palpation with gloved fingers

▪ Mucosa has saliva

▪ Slightly increased friction, no tendency for the gloved fingers to adhere to the mucosa

▪ Mucosa has little saliva and is sticky

▪ Significantly increased friction, gloved fingers adhering to the mucosa

▪ Mucosa has little saliva and is dry

▪ Clean and no plaque and debris

▪ No mobile teeth

▪ Small amount of plaque and debris

▪ Several mobile teeth but no hindrance to care

▪ Large amount of plaque and debris

▪ Some wobbly teeth

Oral mucosa

▪ Pink and moist

▪ No dirtiness

Dry and color change such as reddening

• Spontaneous bleeding, ulcer, and candida infection are observed

• Airway secretion, desquamated epithelium, and clotting blood are apparent and tightly attached to the mucosa

Tongue

▪ Moderate filiform papillae present

Extension and loss of filiform papillae (coated tongue and bald tongue, respectively)

Lips

▪ Smooth (no cracking)

Cracked and angular cheilitis

Gingiva

▪ Tightened (stippling)

Gingiva is swollen and bleeds while brushing