Ventilator associated pneumonia as the name suggests refers to pneumonia occurring in the setting of mechanical ventilation. It accounts of 86% of nosocomial pneumonia and in contrast to other more common nosocomial infections is accompanied by a mortality rate of upto 76% in certain settings. A number of preventive methods have been studied to reduce the rate of VAP but a consensus is lacking with regards to appropriate preventive strategies. Studies in adults have shown a beneficial effect of oral mucosal application of chlorhexidine but similar studies in pediatric population are not available. This research project aims at addressing the gap.