Tang 2013.

Study characteristics
Methods	Study design: RCT Location: adult ICU (China) Number of centres: 1 Study period: 14 months (dates not given) Funding source: unclear
Participants	Setting: adult ICU Inclusion criteria: all patients admitted to the ICU with receipt of mechanical ventilation of at least 48 hours were assessed for inclusion in the study. Exclusion criteria: unclear Number randomised: 60 (gp A: 30; gp B: 30) Number evaluated: 60 (gp A: 30; gp B: 30) Baseline characteristics: age: 56 (13.22); M/F: 38/22 "Age and sex comparable between groups"
Interventions	Comparison: saline rinse vs saline swab Gp A: rinse oral cavity with saline Gp B: saline swab with saline cotton ball
Outcomes	1. VAP 2. Mortality 3. Duration of ventilation
Notes	Sample size calculation: not reported
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	No details provided
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	No details provided
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	Blinding not mentioned and not possible
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Assessor blinding not mentioned
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	All randomised participants included in analysis
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	Planned outcomes reported
Other bias	Unclear risk	The authors did not give a detailed description about the intervention methods and frequency of oral care in each group.