Oral Care Performed with Breast Milk in Preterm Newborns Fed by Tube: A Randomized Controlled Study

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> This study examined the effect of breast milk on oral care practices in neonatal intensive care units. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This study involved 64 preterm infants (intervention/breast milk: 32, control/distilled water: 32) and was carried out with a prospective, parallel, randomized controlled design. The "Newborn Oral Health Assessment Tool (NOHAT)" was used to assess oral care. The Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> test, continuity correction test, Fisher's exact test, independent-samples <i>T</i> test, and Wilcoxon signed ranks test were used to analyze the data. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Examining the oral care performed using breast milk and distilled water with NOHAT scores, it was determined that there was a significant difference in the intervention group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> It is recommended to use breast milk for oral care.