Table 3.

Association with total experience

S. No.	Questions	Responses	Group I	Group II	Group III	χ2	p-value
1	Recommended material used for oral care hygiene maintenance in ICU patients	Simple suction	7	2	0	20.658	0.008
		Tap water	6	4	0
		Plain saline	35	48	33
		Chlorhexidine	4	1	2
		Toothbrush	2	1	5
2	Is toothbrush recommended for maintenance of oral hygiene in ICU patients?	No	26	16	8	9.105	0.011
		Yes	28	40	32
3	Frequency of toothbrushing performed by nursing staff for each ICU patient daily	Once	16	15	7	11.765	0.067
		Twice	28	26	21
		After every meal	3	9	11
		Not daily	7	6	1
4	Duration of toothbrushing performed by nursing staff for each ICU patient	3–4 minutes	13	30	16	34.182	0.000
		1–2 minutes	35	24	10
		5 minutes	0	0	4
		Not sure	6	2	10
5	Pooling of saliva in the mouth for intubated ICU patients leads to an increased incidence of microbial growth. This can be controlled by	(A) Suctioning of oral fluids regularly	29	15	12	16.628	0.002
		(B) Using cotton swabs to absorb	6	5	0
		(A) and (B)	19	36	28
		Not required	0	0	0
6	Oral hygiene tools required in an ICU setup for oral hygiene maintenance	Toothbrush	7	1	3	12.058	0.017
		Gauze + tongue depressor	12	23	20
		Mouth rinse	0	0	0
		All	35	32	17
7	Recommended toothpaste for children with teeth should contain	Fluoride	23	37	24	13.124	0.011
		Sodium chloride	26	19	16
		Sodium bicarbonate	0	0	0
		Don't know	5	0	0
8	Recommended oral rinse for ICU patients	0.12% chlorhexidine	47	50	37	0.720	0.698
		Plain water	7	6	3
		Betadine	0	0	0
		Hydrogen	0	0	0
		Don't Know	0	0	0
9	Ideal handwashing practice to be followed by nursing staff in ICU	Pre-contact handwashing with tap water and soap	0	0	0	14.049	0.001
		Pre- and post-contact handwashing with tap water and soap	26	24	5
		Pre- and post-contact handwashing with tap water and soap followed by alcohol rub	28	32	35
		Handwashing is not needed	0	0	0
10	Denture hygiene of geriatric ICU patients comprises	Removal of dentures at night and cleaning it once a day	9	5	3	10.272	0.036
		Removal of the dentures during sleep and cleaning it preferably after every meal	41	51	37
		No need for the removal of dentures from the mouth and external cleaning	4	0	0
		Intraoral cleaning with appropriate tools is sufficient	0	0	0
11	Where do you store personalized oral hygiene tools for ICU patients?	(A) Personalized air-tight containers	21	29	17	14.412	0.025
		(B) Along with their other personal belongings	20	13	4
		(A) or (B)	13	14	19
		Does not matter	0	0	0
12	Maintenance of oral hygiene in infants before the eruption of teeth in a pediatric ICU is done by	(A) Cotton swab to clean the gums	35	42	22	5.562	0.234
		(B) Small soft toothbrush	0	0	0
		Both (A) and (B)	18	13	18
		No supporting cleaning is required	1	1	0
13	Did you receive assessment and provision of comprehensive oral care for ICU patients in basic nursing training?	No	7	0	0	13.054	0.001
		Yes	47	56	40
14	What is the ideal patient position for performing oral hygiene care in an unconscious ICU adult patient?	Position the patient in the supine position	5	1	2	8.262	0.082
		Position the patient in the prone position	0	0	0
		Position the patient in the lateral decubitus	25	37	28
		Position the patient in the elevated supine position	24	18	10
		Any position	0	0	0
15	Do you think oral hygiene maintenance is necessary for ICU patients?	Yes	54	56	40	–	–
		No	0	0	0
16	Doctor's instruction for oral hygiene care documented in the checklist and your necessary documentation/record for the oral hygiene procedures will improve the practice of oral care by nursing staff	Yes	54	56	40	–	–
		No	0	0	0
17	Will the presence of a dental surgeon in the ICU help in the proper maintenance of oral hygiene in ICU patients?	No	10	2	3	7.203	0.027
		Yes	44	54	37

Group I, 0–7 years; group II, 7.1–13.9 years; group III, 14 years and above