Abstract
[Aim] This study aims to clarify the effect of removal of contaminants produced by oral care for intubated patients and the degree of oral health condition and inflow in each care method.
[Methods] We conducted oral care using one of three methods for 75 ICU inpatients. The first method is wiping, the second is washing, and the third is an aspiration brushing wipe. The effect of removal was evaluated by bacterial count and ATP level at time of oral care. The oral health condition was observed by objective oral evaluation, moisture of the oral mucosa, and prevalence of oral bacteria. The degree of inflow was measured by the degree of cuff pollution after extubation.
[Results] The bacterial count was decreased after oral care in all methods, but the ATP level showed no significant decreases with the wipe. There was no significant difference in objective oral evaluation by each method. However, with the washing method, the moisture content in the mouth was significantly lower than with other methods, and the possession rate of resident bacteria was high. There was no significant difference in the degree of cuff pollution, but it was high with the washing method.
[Conclusion] Focusing on the effect of removal of contaminants, the washing method was effective. Washing had a high percentage of prevalence of oral bacteria, but some moisture of the oral mucosa was insufficient. The wipe and the aspiration brushing wipe maintained the moisture content. However, the aspiration brushing wipe was more effective than the wipe in suppressing growth of pathogens. It was suggested that the degree of inflow was easy in washing.
