Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is defined as pneumonia in patients receiving
mechanical ventilation that was neither present nor developing at the time of intubation.
VAP increases mortality,1 hospital length of stay,2,3 and health care costs.2,4,5 Oral health
can be compromised by critical illness and by mechanical ventilation and is influenced bynursing care.6,7 The effect of oral care interventions on the development of VAP has been of
interest to clinicians; however, data from well-controlled experimental research with
adequate sample sizes have not been published.