Make Sure Grandma and Grandpa Get their Teeth Cleaned; It Could Save their Lives
It appears that when food or saliva is aspirated—a common cause of pneumonia in the elderly—the bacteria present in the mouth goes with it into the lungs.
(New York, NY)—Reuters reports that a new study suggests that having a nursing aide help nursing home residents maintain good oral hygiene lowers the odds of them dying from pneumonia.
Why?
Dr. Carol W. Bassim and colleagues are quoted as saying: "Pneumonia in the elderly is often triggered by aspirating saliva or food. It is likely that the risk of pneumonia "depends on the quality and the quantity of the oropharyngeal contents of a patient at the time of respiratory inoculation or introduction. The quantity of saliva inhaled and a predisposition to gross aspiration events may not be modified through oral care, but this study indicates that oral care may be involved in significantly reducing the harmful quality of the intra-oral environment, reducing the risk of a patient dying from pneumonia."
