PURPOSE
To investigate the effect of oral care either with normal saline or with tantum solution on the oral state of the patients in intensive care unit as well as the frequency of bacteria occurrence inside their oral cavities. METHOD: The study was performed from March thru May of 2003 on the nonequivalent control group non-synchronized quasi-experimental design. Forty subjects were selected for each group. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 10.0 Win. The pre-experimental homogeneity and post-experimental differences between the two groups were analyzed with t-test. RESULT: There was a significant difference in the oral cavity state between the experimental group that had used normal saline and the control group that had used tantum solution. CONCLUSION: Based on the results described above, it is considered that normal saline is more effective than the tantum solution for the oral care of the patients in intensive care unit.