Infrequent Denture Cleaning Linked to Pneumonia
A recent cross-sectional study led by a team of researchers in Japan* have found that infrequent denture cleaning may increase the risk of developing pneumonia among non-institutionalized older adults.
Pneumonia is a leading cause of death among older adults. The effectiveness of oral care in preventing pneumonia in nursing homes and hospitals has been reported. However, in community-dwelling older adults, the role of denture cleaning in preventing pneumonia remains unknown. The study aimed to investigate the association between infrequent denture cleaning and the risk of pneumonia.
The study sample included 71, 227 people who reported they wore complete or partial dentures. The average age of participants was 75.2 years.
The study showed that overall, 4.6% of participants did not clean their dentures daily. Out of those participants, 3.0% experienced pneumonia verses 2.3% of participants who did clean their dentures daily.
These findings show that denture cleaning just might prevent pneumonia, and the importance of keeping dentures clean.
For more information on this study, visit Scientific Reports.
*Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
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