Dental plaque colonization may be exacerbated in the absence of adequate oral hygiene care in critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients. Dental care is made more difficult due to the presence of the endotracheal tube, which may create:

• mechanical injury of the mouth or respiratory tract
• increased likelihood of dry mouth[1]

Using visual research and interviews, oral access and delivery of care for mechanically ventilated patients was analyzed, resulting in the following recommendations.

Recommendations to improve oral access and care delivery.

Dale CM, Angus JE, Sutherland S, Dev S, Rose L. Exploration of difficulty accessing the mouths of intubated and mechanically ventilated adults for oral care: A video and photographic elicitation study. J Clin Nurs. 2020 Jun;29(11-12):1920-1932. doi: 10.1111/jocn.15014. Epub 2019 Aug 20. PMID: 31342565.
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