Head and Face Medicine · Published 2026-04-22 · DOI 10.1186/s13005-026-00623-z
Abstract Objective Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) remains a major complication in mechanically ventilated patients. This study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of a gravity-weighted continuous oral suction dental pad in preventing VAP. Methods This single-center, retrospective, pre-post cohort study included 118 intensive care unit (ICU) patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Patients admitted before June 2024 received conventional dental pads (control group, n = 59), while those admitted thereafter received the novel device (intervention group, n = 59). Oral hygiene, inflammatory markers, and VAP incidence were compared between groups. Results At 72 h post-intubation, the intervention group showed significantly lower C-reactive protein (CRP) [58.0 (34.45–75.80) vs. 83.7 (47.35-142.55) mg/L], white blood cell (WBC) [8.1 (6.20–9.75) vs. 10.2 (8.1–14.0) ×10⁹/L], oral cleanliness scores [11 (10–11) vs. 13 (12–15)], and Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS) scores [5 (2–6) vs. 5 (4–8)] (all P < 0.01). VAP occurred in 2 (3.39%) patients in the intervention group and 9 (15.25%) in the control group (P = 0.019). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a lower 7-day cumulative incidence of VAP in the intervention group (log-rank P = 0.0021). Conclusion The gravity-weighted continuous oral suction dental pad may improve oral hygiene and reduce early VAP incidence in mechanically ventilated patients. Further multicenter prospective studies are warranted.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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