RESULTS
During follow-up, there were 54 (29%) patients with febrile
days in the non–oral care group and 27 (15%) in the
oral care group. The relative risk (RR) for patients who
did not receive oral care compared with those receiving
oral care was 2.45 (95% confidence interval (CI)
1.77–
3.40,
P
.01). New pneumonia was diagnosed in 34 (19%)
of the 182 patients who did not receive oral care and 21
(11%) of the 184 patients who received oral care. The RR
for patients who did not receive oral care compared with
those receiving oral care was 1.67 (95% CI
1.01–2.75,
P
.05). There were 130 patients who could feed themselves
in the oral care group and 116 in the non–oral care
group and 54 patients who need help eating in the oral
care group and 66 in the non–oral care group. Frequency
of pneumonia in patients feeding themselves and those
needing help eating was 9% and 17% in the oral care group
and 13% and 29% in the non–oral care group, respectively.
The RR of pneumonia for patients who needed help eating
compared with patients who could feed themselves was
2.72 (95% CI
1.27–5.82,
P
.01) in the non–oral care
group but was not significant in the oral care group. Of patients
who suffered from pneumonia, 30 (16%) in the non–
oral care group died and 14 (7%) in the oral care group
died because of pneumonia.