Effect of Oral Health-Based Care Program on Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Intensive Care Units: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in Iran

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a highly prevalent complication of ICU admission. the aim study This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the effect of an oral care program on oral health (OH) status and prevention of VAP in ICUs in Iran. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on the group of articles published on patients hospitalized in ICUs in Iran in 2024. This review included published articles that aimed to assess the effectiveness of care programs or educational interventions in preventing VAP in patients hospitalized in ICUs in Iran. Data search and extraction were performed by two independent researchers in Persian and English between 2004 and 2024. The extracted articles were entered into EndNote software and analyzed using CMA software. Results: The results showed that, at the beginning of the search, 92 articles were found, and after the final conclusion, five articles entered the meta-analysis stage. Also, VAP prevalence in intervention group was 15% (CI: 6.2-31.9%), and VAP prevalence in control group was 39.5% (CI: 21.1-61.4%). Conclusion: It is recommended for preventing VAP that OH programs and interventions be carried out in an ICU.