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Can a Dentist's toothbrush keep ICU patients healthier?

NCT ID NCT07831564

NEW Prevention Sponsor: Semmelweis University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 21, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026

Summary

Researchers at two intensive care units in Budapest studied whether professional oral care and staff education improve oral hygiene in critically ill adults. Dentate patients were assigned to receive either professional cleaning by dentists three times a week or standard care from ICU nurses twice daily. After ICU staff received structured oral care training, later patients formed a separate group. The team tracked oral hygiene scores, gum inflammation, and cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia during the ICU stay.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
professional oral care with an electric toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, plus staff education
What this could lead to
If it works, this could give intensive care units a clear routine for keeping patients' mouths clean and possibly lowering the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia.
What could go wrong
The study is small and ran in two hospitals, so results may not apply everywhere. Better oral hygiene does not always translate into fewer lung infections.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

161 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jun 2023

Finished

Sep 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Adult patients (≥18 years of age) admitted to one of the participating intensive care units. * Expected ICU stay of at least 48 hours. * Informed consent obtained from the patient or their legally authorized representative. Exclusion Criteria: * ICU stay shorter than 48 hours. * Refusal to participate or inability to obtain informed consent from the patient or their legally authorized representative. * Conditions associated with a high risk of bleeding that contraindicated oral examination or oral care.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Critical Illness gingivitis Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Critical illness Critically ill Oral care performance Oral health care

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital

    Budapest, 1106, Hungary

  • Dr. Manninger Jenő National Trauma Center

    Budapest, 1081, Hungary

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