Presenters: Whitney Sanders
Authors: Alexi Maxwell, Whitney Sanders
Faculty Advisor: Brenda Armstrong
Institution: Dixie State University
The initial purpose of this study was to examine the use of a toothbrush in oral care regimens in the prevention of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) in intubated patients as compared to current oral health care regimens. As nearly 9 to 40% of infections acquired in intensive care units (ICU) are VAP, a standardized protocol needs to be established to lower oral biofilm, therefore reducing the occurrence of VAP. The method used for research was a literature search of PubMed where the keywords were ventilator associated pneumonia, toothbrush, and care routines to prevent VAP. The reviewed random-control trials show that prevention bundles used to manage oral biofilms with tooth brushing reduced the incidence of VAP and reduced the number of days spent in the ICU. The researched prevention bundles varied in products and procedures. As each of the care bundles varied, the research does not allow the comparison of one regimen to another. Implications of this research shows that the incidence of VAP is decreased by including tooth brushing in prevention bundles, yet research is lacking due to the inconsistency of standardized care bundles. The examined studies indicate that more research is needed in order to clarify what procedure and products a standard prevention bundle would include to best reduce the occurrence of VAP. Once a researched prevention bundle is established, dental hygienists employed in the ICU would administer the care protocol to best manage oral biofilms that increase the risk of VAP occurrence.