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Oral and tracheal microbiota of pediatric and adolescent patients in an intensive care unit
Author(s) -
Pinheiro Caroline Louise Sampaio,
Lima Fernanda Pereira,
Machado Fernanda Conceição,
Santos Sara de Souza,
Malheiro Allan Roberto Xavier,
Ataíde Ledilce Almeida,
Figueiredo Andreia Cristina Leal
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
special care in dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.328
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1754-4505
pISSN - 0275-1879
DOI - 10.1111/scd.12602
Subject(s) - medicine , mechanical ventilation , oral hygiene , intensive care unit , referral , pediatric intensive care unit , pediatrics , dentistry , family medicine
Objective To characterize the oral and tracheal microbiota of patients admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods and results This is an exploratory study conducted on patients aged 5 months to 13 years admitted to the PICU of a referral hospital. Two microbiological samples were collected with a swab in the posterior region of the tongue from patients receiving spontaneous and mechanical ventilation within the first 24 and 48 h after admission to the PICU. Among patients receiving mechanical ventilation, tracheal secretion was also collected in a second sampling. The caries experience was evaluated using the DMFT/dmf index, and the quality of oral hygiene was assessed based on the visual plaque index (VPI). A questionnaire was applied to obtain data on hospital routine and sample characteristics. The DMFT/dmf index was 1.66 (SD = 2.18) and the mean VPI was 43.03 (SD = 36.93). The most prevalent microorganisms were Klebsiella pneumoniae (15%). Oral colonization by opportunistic pathogens was significantly higher in patients receiving mechanical ventilation compared to those on spontaneous ventilation ( p < .05). There was no relationship of VPI or DMFT/dmf with oral microbiological changes. Conclusion The results indicate that PICU patients are susceptible to colonization by respiratory and opportunistic pathogens since the first hours of hospitalization.