Associations Between Oral Conditions and Respiratory Disease in a National Sample Survey Population

Abstract

Respiratory infectious diseases such as bacterial pneumonia and bronchitis are common and costly, especially in institutionalized and elderly inpatients. Respiratory infection is thought to rely in part on the aspiration of oropharyngeal flora into the lower respiratory tract and failure of host defense mechanisms to eliminate the contaminating bacteria, which then multiply to cause infection. It has been suggested that dental plaque may act as a reservoir of respiratory pathogens, especially in patients with periodontal disease. However, the impact of poor oral health on oral respiratory pathogen colonization and lung infection is uncertain, especially in ambulatory, non-institutionalized populations. To begin to assess potential associations between respiratory diseases and oral health, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I (NHANES I) were analyzed. This database contains information on the general health status of 23,808 individual Of these, 386 individuals reported a suspected respiratory condition that was further assessed by a physician. These subjects were categorized as having a confirmed chronic respiratory disease (chronic bronchitis or emphysema) or an acute respiratory disease (influenza, pneumonia, acute bronchitis). They were compared to those not having a respiratory disease. Initial non-parametric analysis noted that individuals with a confirmed chronic respiratory disease (n = 41) had significantly greater oral hygiene index scores than subjects without respiratory disease (n = 193; P = 0.0441). Logistic regression analysis of data from these subjects, which considered age, race, gender, smoking status, and simplified oral hygiene index (OHI), suggested that subjects having the median OHI value were 1.3 times more likely to have a chronic respiratory disease relative to those with and OHI of O. Similarly, subjects with the maximum OHI value were 4.5 times more likely to have a chronic respiratory disease than those with an OHI of O. No evidence was found to support an association between the periodontal index and any respiratory disease. These results suggest OHI to have a residual effect on chronic respiratory disease of both practical and statistical significance.

Physiological Characteristics of Dysphagia Following Thermal Burn Injury

“…Most participants had weakened cough strength indicating the potential inability to successfully clear aspirated secretions. Furthermore the high presence of poor dentition is significant, considering the known relationship between the number of decayed teeth, missing teeth and poorly fitted dentures and an increased incidence of aspiration pneumonia [44][45][46][47][48][49] . Poor oral hygiene creates a hospitable environment for growth of pathogenic organisms in the mouth which further predisposes the patient to pneumonia following the aspiration of contaminated oral secretions [49][50][51][52] .…”

Survey on the Issues and the Changes of Oral Health Condition of Inpatients in the Intensive Care Unit

“…Therefore, oral care is offered as a means to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia and postoperative infections. 15,20,21) In the present study, dentists and dental hygienists assessed the oral health of patients and developed and implemented appropriate oral care methods in collaboration with nurses in the ICU, and the effects on oral health problems were examined.…”

“…12 14) On the other hand, these reports indicated that how the oral health status of patients was an indicator of the diffi culties faced when aiming to improve the oral health with regard to general health issues and exacerbation of diseases. 15) Moreover, although a broad range of symptoms in the oral cavity could be improved fairly easily while others could not, few studies have been conducted on the process of improving oral health problems through intervention by dental professionals in the acute stages. 16,17) Showa University Oral Health Care Center was established in April 2008 in cooperation with a multidisciplinary team to implement oral health care and to create a standardized method of oral health care for patients in the acute stages.…”

Prise en charge des foyers infectieux bucco-dentaires

“…Elle peut mettre la vie en danger, en particulier chez le patient âgé ou immunodéprimé. Les bactéries anaérobies peuvent être à l'origine de pneumonies, et la plaque dentaire apparaît logiquement comme une origine de ces bactéries, notamment chez les patients atteints de maladies parodontales [68][69][70].…”