Oral Health of Patients Hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit.

Aim: Oral hygiene technique is an important factor in maintaining the health and comfort of hospitalized patients given the frequent presence of oral biofilm and pathogens brought on by mouth breathing. This is an important practice to assist patients in intensive care, in particular those who are intu-bated and under mechanical ventilation because the realization of oral hygiene reduces the patient's risk of complications and length of hospitalization. The objective of this research was to evaluate the oral health condition of patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU) and to clarify the importance of protocol standardization involving these patients' buccal hygiene.