The aim of this study was to identify the effect of Dongchimi juice containing kimchi Lactobacillus as an oral hygiene agent and to compare it with that of chlorhexidine solution (0.12% dilution).

This study employed a pretest-posttest experimental design in which a single group of patients was exposed to two different treatments over a period of time. The study included 32 patients hospitalized at a longterm care hospital in Korea. Data were collected between August 12, 2016 and September 28, 2016. The patients first used chlorhexidine solution as an oral care agent for 1 week. After an interval of 2 weeks, they used Dongchimi juice for 1 week. Each agent was applied 2 times a day depending on the protocol. The oral status of the patients was measured using Beck's Oral Exam Guide (OEG) scores. The number of pathogens in the oral cavity was counted by culture, and the patients’ subjective satisfaction score for each oral agent was measured using a visual analogue scale. T-test and Mann-Whitney test were performed to identify significant differences between Dongchimi juice and chlorhexidine solution by using PASW Statistics for Windows, Version 18.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

The OEG score was not statistically different with the use of chlorhexidine solution and Dongchimi juice. However, decreasing number of pathogens and the subjective satisfaction score were higher with Dongchimi juice than with the chlorhexidine solution.

These findings support the use of Dongchimi juice containing kimchi Lactobacillus as an oral hygiene agent for Korean patients.