Clinical application of a novel gravity-weighted continuous oral suction dental pad in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia in intubated patients

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. 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. 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). 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.