Effects of systematic oral care in critically ill patients: a multicenter study.

Background: No standard oral assessment tools are available for determining frequency of oral care in critical care patients, and the method of providing oral care is controversial.

Objectives: To examine the effects of a systematic program of oral care on oral assessment scores in critically ill intubated and nonintubated, patients.

Methods: Clinical data were collected 3 times during critical care admissions before and after institution of a systematic program of oral care in 3 different medical centers.