50+ Lifestyles

Pneumonia and Your Mouth

Carole Ferch, RDH, I-Smile Silver Coordinator
Scott County Health Department

How much do you know about pneumonia?

If you have ever suffered from pneumonia, you know how miserable you feel and how hard it can be to overcome, especially as we age. According to the American Lung Association, pneumonia is often caused by bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. There are many risk factors for pneumonia that include: age, recent illness, living in a nursing facility, and staying in the hospital.

The mouth is connected to our body, yet often overlooked!

Bacterial infection is one of the most common causes of pneumonia. Your mouth is full of living, breathing, infection-causing bacteria called “plaque”. When plaque is left in the mouth, instead of being removed with daily brushing and flossing, plaque becomes harmful. This harmful plaque infects the soft tissues of the mouth, increasing inflammation in the body. Daily activities such as eating, drinking, and sleeping provide an opportunity for this harmful plaque to be inhaled into the lungs, which can lead to aspiration pneumonia.  Long periods of lying in a bed, such as in a hospital or nursing facility, further heighten the risk for aspiration.

Could a toothbrush really help?

Sutter Medical Center, a large California hospital system, implemented a quality improvement project to reduce the number of hospital-acquired pneumonia cases through improved patient oral hygiene care. The hospital added a daily oral hygiene routine for all patients that included brushing with a quality toothbrush, using a fluoride toothpaste, and rinsing with a non-alcohol rinse four times daily. The results of their project demonstrated that in 2.5 years, Sutter Medical Center avoided 164 cases of hospital-acquired pneumonia, saving 31 lives, millions of dollars, and over a 1000 excess hospital days.  (You can view the full report at www.hqinstitute.org/post/2018-c-duane-dauner-quality-award-0)

My advice for you:

The health of your mouth greatly impacts the health of your body.  Protect yourself from avoidable disease by daily brushing and flossing, and routine dental visits to your dentist and dental hygienist.  If you get sick this winter, whether at home, a hospital, or nursing home; remember that tooth brushing will decrease the number of bacteria in your mouth. And don’t forget, when you begin to feel better, throw that toothbrush away and use a new one! Prevention is the very best medicine, and it can start with your dental care.

Carole Ferch, RDH is I-Smile Silver Coordinator at the Scott County Health Department, 600 W. 4th St., Davenport, Iowa 52801-1030. She can be reached at (563) 326-8618, ext. 8258.