Oral hygiene care in Intensive Care Unit

perceptions of nursing staff*

Authors

Keywords:

Oral Hygiene, Nursing, Intensive Care Units, Hospital Infection Control Program, Health Promotion

Abstract

Objective: Investigate the perceptions of nursing professionals about oral hygiene care performed in patients in intensive care.

Method: Descriptive, qualitative study, conducted in the Intensive Therapy Unit of a hospital in North Minas Gerais, among nursing professionals. The data were collected by semi-structured questionnaires and analyzed using IRaMuTeQ (Interface of R Pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires), in the period from October to November 2024.

Results: 41 nursing professionals, aged from 24 to 55 years old, participated in the study, who reported difficulties in performing oral hygiene care of patients in the intensive care unit, including: the lack of materials and heavy workload.

Conclusion: Nursing professionals perceive oral hygiene in intensive care patients as an essential but often neglected care due to lack of materials, overload and lack of protocols.

Author Biographies

Cecília Lucas Lopes, Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Nurse. Master's degree in Nursing, Postgraduate Program in Nursing Care. Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Hevelyn dos Santos da Rocha, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio das Ostras, RJ, Brasil

Nurse. Nursing, Postgraduate Degree in Clinical Nursing, Federal Fluminense University, Rio das Ostras, RJ, Brazil.

Diana Paola Gutierrez Diaz de Azevedo , Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Nurse. PhD in Cognition and Language from the State University of Northern Rio de Janeiro. Postgraduate Program in Nursing Care. Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Maithê de Carvalho e Lemos Goulart, Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Nursing. PhD in Nursing and Biosciences from the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Professor at the Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Fernanda Maria Vieira Pereira Ávila, Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Nurse. PhD in Sciences from the Inter-unit Doctoral Program in Nursing - EERP/USP. Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

References

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Published

2026-03-10

How to Cite

Lopes, C. L., da Rocha, H. dos S., de Azevedo , D. P. G. D., Goulart, M. . de C. e L., & Ávila, F. M. V. P. (2026). Oral hygiene care in Intensive Care Unit: perceptions of nursing staff*. Cogitare Enfermagem, 31. Retrieved from https://revistas.ufpr.br/cogitare/article/view/98866

Issue

Vol. 31 (2026)

Section

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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Copyright (c) 2026 Cecília Lucas Lopes, Hevelyn dos Santos da Rocha, Diana Paola Gutierrez Diaz de Azevedo , Maithê de Carvalho e Lemos Goulart, Fernanda Maria Vieira Pereira Ávila

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