Development and Validation of an Oral Hygiene Standard Operating Procedure for Professionals Working in Intensive Care Units

This study aimed to develop and validate a standard operating procedure (SOP) for oral hygiene (OH) targeting professionals working in intensive care units (ICU).This methodological study comprised four stages: 1) an integrative literature review that included and analyzed the main studies related to the topic, 2) the review results informed the development of an SOP for OH to ICU professionals, 3) final SOP version was created via a series of meetings until consensus was reached, and 4) SOP was assessed and validated using a Likert scale questionnaire.Twenty-eight articles informed the development of the SOP by clarifying the definition of procedures, materials, and OH approaches in ICU patients.Next, the SOP was presented to 35 professionals, of which 16 responded to the validation survey.Participants were dentists, nurses, nursing technicians, physical therapists, physicians, pharmacists, and speech therapists.The survey showed 100% of agreement among the evaluators.This study developed and validated an SOP for OH in the ICU.The SOP might facilitate the ICU routine, optimize the engagement of the patient care team, and prevent systemic diseases associated with poor OH.