Impact of Oral Care for Intensive Care Unit Patient on Pneumonia Infection Prevention: Literature Review Study

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Background: Oral cavity bacteria can be mostly harmful if inhaled into the lungs. Hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP), a critical condition that presents clinically two or more days after hospitalization, which may increase the risk of mortality. Lacking oral care can lead to Hospital acquired pneumonia. Objective: to explore effective oral care consequence on hospital acquired pneumonia prevention. Methods: This review article is performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. The literature exploration was done in Google Scholar and PubMed databases for articles published between 2017 and 2020. The search words were “oral care, oral hygiene, intensive care, critical care, ICU, respiratory infection, lung infection, pneumonia, and adult". Results: A total of 6 studies were included, the studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Oral care with tooth brushing and purified water twice daily can significantly reduce the incidence of HAP. Brushing patient mouth with chlorhexidine is also effective in decreasing the HAP incidence. Implementing oral care protocols in ICU with chlorhexidine solution and nurse education can significantly lower the incidence of HAP. Conclusions: Good oral and dental care, particularly with tooth brushing and purified water twice daily, can significantly reduce the incidence of HAP in intensive care unit patients.