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Updated: May 31, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Consensus based clinical guideline for oral hygiene in the critically ill
Angela M Berry1, Patricia M Davidson, Lisa Nicholson
1Intensive Care Unit, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia. angela_berry@wsashs.nsw.gov.au
Objectives:
Oropharyngeal colonisation has been identified as a factor contributing to ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We sought to develop a clinical practice guideline for providing oral hygiene in the critically ill.
Research Methodology:
Following a systematic literature review a prospectively derived consensus development conference was convened and sponsored by a clinical governance unit.
Results:
The consensus development conference generated 12 recommendations for tools and solutions; frequency and duration of cleaning; oral assessment tools and oral hygiene protocols. These recommendations underwent a validation process.
Conclusions:
In light of sparse high level evidence to inform guidelines, further research is needed inform clinical practice. Oral hygiene is a critical element of nursing care and a standardised approach has the potential to improve clinical outcomes.
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