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Patients were assigned to an Experimental Group (EG), which received topical artificial saliva after standard oral hygiene, and a Control Group (CG), which underwent oral hygiene only. Statistical analyses were performed using Jamovi, SPSS, and Stata. Fisher\u2019s exact test, Kaplan\u2013Meier survival analysis with log-rank test, and Poisson regression were applied, adopting a significance level of\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u20090.05.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Among the 46 patients analyzed (21 in EG and 25 in CG), oral changes occurred in 61% during hospitalization. The Control Group developed significantly more lesions than the Experimental Group (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.023), showing a 29% higher occurrence of changes. Oral candidiasis (24.1%) and dry mouth (20.2%) were more frequent in the CG, whereas traumatic ulceration predominated in the EG (51.6%).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The prophylactic use of artificial saliva was associated with a lower occurrence of oral changes in critically ill patients and may represent a simple and potentially cost-effective supportive intervention in the ICU setting.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Clinical relevance<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The findings suggest that prophylactic use of artificial saliva may contribute to reducing oral complications in critically ill patients. As a simple and low-cost intervention, it has the potential to support oral care strategies in ICU settings; however, further studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness and inform clinical protocols.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00784-026-06864-1","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T00:33:07Z","timestamp":1776990787000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Efficacy of artificial saliva in preventing oral changes in patients admitted to the ICU: a controlled clinical trial"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"30","author":[{"given":"Edmundo Duarte","family":"Martins","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nayara Isabelle Cabral","family":"Rebou\u00e7as","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sophia Queiroz Marques","family":"dos Santos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tatiana Bernardo Farias","family":"Pereira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ros\u00e2ngela Oliveira","family":"da C\u00e2mara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"do Ros\u00e1rio Avelino Bezerra Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alzira Maria Batista","family":"Guar\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ana Clara Guedes","family":"Queiroz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Addison Ribeiro","family":"de Almeida","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leandro","family":"De Santis Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ericka Janine Dantas","family":"da Silveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"6864_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1399067","volume":"12","author":"X Li","year":"2024","unstructured":"Li X, Cai P, Zhong H, Yan C, Wen R (2024) Uses of a real-time automatic nosocomial infection surveillance system to support prevention and control of hospital-acquired infections in the ICU. 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The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards established by the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its subsequent amendments. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legally authorized representatives prior to inclusion in the study, including the use and publication of photographic records and medical chart data. For patients who were conscious and not sedated at the time of inclusion, the research team provided detailed information regarding the study objectives, procedures, potential risks, and benefits, and consent was signed by the patient. In cases where patients were sedated or unable to provide consent, authorization was obtained from a legally authorized representative (usually a family member) during regular ICU visiting hours. These procedures were fully compliant with ethical guidelines for research involving vulnerable populations. We would like to inform you that specific informed consent for the use and publication of clinical images was duly obtained from the patients or their legal guardians, as applicable, in accordance with institutional ethical standards.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethical approval"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"196"}}