ABSTRACT
Hygiene is a fundamental activity of living, yet oral health remains largely neglected (White, 2000), qualified nurses often lacking adequate knowledge to perform mouthcare (Adams, 1996). Limited ICU-specific literature on mouthcare has appeared since the first edition of this text. Poor oral care in the ICU predisposes to short-term complications such as ventilator-associated pneumonia (Dennesen et al., 2003) and long-term effects such as dental decay (O’Reilly, 2003).
