The importance of the oral hygiene in Intensive Care Unit as a way of prevention of nosocomial infection - Sistematic Literature Review

Patients with inadequate oral hygiene and bad dental conditions presents bigger risk of local complications and systemic, this work has objective inform to the health's professionals about the importance of the oral hygiene in patients interned in ICU (Intensive Care Unit), as preventive measure of nosocomial infection. Methodology: it is a bibliographical revision computerized of available articles through electronic database, that it had like reference the virtual library of health, utilizing as base of facts Medline, Lilacs and Scielo. Results: after the search and the utilization of all the keywords were found 31 articles of the which barely 6 in Portuguese and 4 in English corresponded to the criterions of selection for inclusion in this study. Conclusion: it was identified a deficiency around the publications that comprehend this subject, so there is a real need of deepen researches that serve of subsidies to formulation and application of protocols, optimizing the care of nursing the oral health. Key words: oral hygiene, cross infection, critical care, intensive care.