Oral Health Care and Aspiration Pneumonia

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30659/odj.11.2.347-358

Keywords:

aspiration pneumonia, dental plaque biofilm, oral health care

Abstract

Background: Oral health care is important to prevent aspiration pneumonia. Poor oral hygiene in elderly patients heightens the risk of aspiration pneumonia due to the growth of potential periodontopathogen bacteria. This literature review aims to describe the effect of oral health care on the incidence of pneumonia and/or the number of oral bacteria.

Method: The literature search was conducted based on the PRISMA guideline with the PICO framework by utilizing electronic search engines in databases: PubMed, Cochrane's Library, and Google Scholar from March through May 2024. All articles to be reviewed were ‘’full text” published from 2014 to 2024. An eligibility assessment was conducted based on inclusion and exclusion criteria; thus, seven articles were selected.

Result: Mechanical tooth and mouth cleaning, in addition to using mouthwash and moisturizing agents, effectively reduces the risk of aspiration pneumonia in the elderly.

Conclusion: Oral health care with mechanical and pharmacological interventions are deemed appropriate to be given to elderly individuals to prevent aspiration pneumonia.

Author Biographies

  • Chrysanti Murad, Padjadjaran University
    Department of Biomedical Sciences
  • Imam Megantara, Padjadjaran University
    Department of Biomedical Sciences

Downloads

Published

2025-12-18

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 2 (2024): December 2024

Section

Review Article

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.