hypothesis that oral interventions reduce the risk of
pneumonia in adult high-risk populations but there are no
extensively tested, evidence-based oral care protocols for
paediatric critical care population (Johnstone et al., 2010).
Oral care strategies to reduce the accumulation of
organisms in the mouth, and thus reduce VAP risk, have
not been well researched in critically ill children.
Additional studies are needed to determine the
influence of comprehensive oral care on occurrence of
respiratory infections, so this randomised, double-blind
study aimed to analyse the effect of twice-daily oral
cleansing with teeth brushing and 0.12% chlorhexidine
gluconate gel on the occurrence of VAP in a sample of
critically ill children.