THE IMPORTANCE OF ORAL HYGIENE IN PATIENTS INTUBATED IN THE ICU

Abstract

This study stands for a graduation paper, for which we have carried research in published articles that show evidences of failures in intensive care units (ICU) admitted patients' oral hygiene as one of the main causes of opportunistic infections such as pneumonia associated with mechanical ventilation (PAMV). This disease is known as an infection that affects the lungs and can occur due to the secretions leaking by the side of the tube as a result of the low pressure of the cuff. This leaking is associated with the non-hygiene of the patient's oral cavity, causing the disease. Other illnesses may arise from this failure in care such as bacterial endocarditis, periodontal diseases and oral candidiasis and they can also lead patients to serious complications, since they are changings in the oral microbiota, causing also superficial or deep lesions in the cavity, leading to damage to the tissues that support the teeth. This situation can cause sequels and evolve to deaths. The oral cavity serves as a focus on the set of causes capable of producing pathologies, oral hygiene is then essential for the maintenance of the health of the oral cavity, contributing to minimize the development of these infections. Thus, it is also known that having a dental surgeon in the intensive care unit assists in obtaining rapid diagnoses, oral pathologies treatments and in emergency services, also contributing to the training of the nursing team in the sector. This study aimed to improve the knowledge about the importance of oral hygiene for patients admitted in intensive care units, as this minimizes the risk of infections that cause the incidence of diseases such as pneumonias associated with ventilation. It has been identified that the chlorhexidine 0.12% and chlorhexidine gel 0.2% solution are great allies for the patients' oral hygiene, protecting the oral cavity for up to 12 hours. Since patients ' oral hygiene is vital for contributing to the reduction of opportunistic infections, it is also necessary to implant courses of action so that nursing teams stop neglecting the patients' oral cavity care.