ABSTRACT
Hygiene is a fundamental activity of living. Poor oral care in ICUs contributes to ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (Mori et al., 2006), so most recent studies, such as Cason et al. (2007), Ross and Crumpler (2007) and Chao et al. (2009), focus on how improved care can reduce VAP. Other evidence is sparse and weak (Berry et al., 2007). However, there has been less interest in wider aspects of oral care in ICUs, such as reducing long-term dental decay (O’Reilly, 2003).
