Oral Health-related Factors Involved in the Onset of Pneumonia in Latter-stage Older Adults Receiving Oral Health Examination

Abstract

 The purpose of this study was to investigate oral health-related factors involved in the development of pneumonia, including aspiration pneumonia, in latter-stage older adults using oral health examination data. The participants enrolled in this cross-sectional study were 3,747 Tokushima City residents aged 75, 80, 85, or 90 years old who received oral health examination for latter-stage older adults during the five years of the study. As the onset of pneumonia within a year was the outcome of cross-sectional analysis, we investigated the association with oral health/general and oral conditions using data from the questionnaire survey and oral health examination obtained from each participant. A longitudinal analysis was also performed involving 677 participants who received oral health examinations in 2015.

 “Choking on drinks”, “dry mouth”, and “no regular dental check-ups at least once a year” were factors related to the onset of pneumonia by binomial logistic regression analysis in the cross-sectional study. “Moderate/large amounts of plaque/food debris” and “periodontal pocket depth of 4 mm or more” were factors related to the onset of aspiration pneumonia by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Moreover, “dry mouth” was a factor related to the onset of infectious pneumonia by Cox proportional hazards analysis.

 These results suggest that oral health-related factors involved in the onset of pneumonia in latter-stage older adults include a decreased oral function such as choking on drinks and dry mouth, in addition to oral hygiene, periodontal conditions, and regular dental check-ups.