Association Between Oral Health Status at Admission and Length of Hospital Stay in the Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Cohort Study (2024–2025)

BACKGROUND: Poor oral health is linked to prolonged hospitalization, but critical care data from Latin America remain virtually absent. This study characterized baseline oral health at intensive care unit (ICU) admission in a Chilean center and evaluated its association with ICU length of stay (LOS). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted including first-admission adults (n = 105). Bedside clinical examinations at admission assessed the WHO Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, gingival inflammation, and salivary hypofunction. Adjusted associations with ICU LOS were evaluated using multivariable ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. RESULTS: At admission, gingival inflammation and salivary hypofunction were each present in 90.5% of patients. The mean DMFT was 8.87 ± 9.40. In multivariable analysis, the DMFT index was not associated with ICU LOS (β = -0.050, 95% CI [-0.187, 0.087], p = 0.477). Mechanical ventilation status emerged as the sole independent predictor of prolonged stay (β = 3.30 days, 95% CI [0.75, 5.85], p = 0.013). Results were robust across five sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a remarkably high baseline burden of oral disease at ICU admission, chronic caries experience was not independently associated with ICU LOS, which was driven primarily by ventilatory support.