Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Understanding The Relationship Between Oral Care And Aspiration Pneumonia

By Patricia Wood


Aspiration pneumonia is one major causes of mortality and morbidity in elderly patients. This is especially so in frail ones. Many studies have shown that ensuring these patients receive effective and efficient oral care helps in preventing this dangerous condition that almost always leads to death. Oral care and aspiration pneumonia seem to be related in that lack of the former increases the chance of getting the latter.

Oral health care touches all aspects of life. Often many take it for granted. It is important to note that the mouth is like a window that opens to the rest of the body. It often shows signs of general infection and nutritional deficiencies. Many systemic diseases that affect the rest of the body are first noticed by apparent signs of mouth lesions. Therefore whatever age one is at, whether young or elderly, they should ensure that their mouth is always clean.

Effective oral hygiene extends to all aspects of care other than brushing teeth daily. While this is a significant action, used alone does not make it as effective as when it is used together with other activities. These include flossing of teeth, using clean toothbrushes for three months, not sharing personal items, reducing total intake of snacks, proper dieting techniques as well as visiting a primary dentist regularly. These visits should not only be limited to when one feels pain in their gums. It should be done more frequently among adults and young kids.

Aspiration pneumonia is the inflammation of lungs and the bronchial tubes. This is usually caused by infection due to inhalation of foreign matter. It is also called anaerobic pneumonia. It may easily be caused by inhaling liquid, vomitus and food. It then leads to infection by bacteria. These organisms are different and more stubborn than those which cause other types of pneumonia.

Known causes include aging, reduced alert levels, swallowing difficulty, alcohol and drug abuse, esophageal disorders, taking sedatives staying in comatose state and dental problems. Poor mouth health is one of the leading causes of this disease in old people.

Numerous studies have been done in a bid to investigate the true effect of oral hygiene on respiratory disease like aspiration pneumonia. It was observed that a clean mouth protects against this infection. It significantly contributed to reduced number of infections which helps to keep older patients safe. In addition, constant oral care is cheaper because it requires less expenses as compared to treatment. It also allows the person to enjoy their life in peace.

It was discovered that simple hygiene techniques had a big impact on the disease. Round the clock healthcare indicated a reduced number of infections. However, dental visits were required weekly. This is more regular as compared to normal checkups.

Oral decontamination as well as mechanical cleaning have been proven to have significant effect on not only aspiration pneumonia but other respiratory diseases as well. It results in reduced pathogens in the mouth which are eliminated by constant cleaning. In addition, swallowing training is also used.

With the studies done that prove the effectiveness of cleaning the mouth in preventing aspiration pneumonia, effort has been made in educating people. This is especially done in elderly nursing homes which have arranged for dental services for clients and patients.




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