Abstract
Some indigenous microorganisms may cause host opportunistic infections owing to breaking down the balance between the host and the normal microbial flora. Aging is one of the major factors of the relations in this imbalance.
The purpose of this study was to investigate oral microbial flora of elderly people. Subjects consisted of the following two groups: a nursing home group which included people living in 3 different nursing homes (n=110) and a control group consisting of those living in the community (n=72).
We performed general oral examinations, investigated salivary flow rate, buffering capacity, the number of lactobacilli and the level of mutans streptococci in saliva, the numbers of staphylococci and Candida on the tongue, and CH3SH.
We obtained the following results: the nursing home group showed significantly lower buffering capacity, and higher numbers of Candida and staphylococci on the tongue when compared with the control group.There were no significant differences in the other results. We also gave oral health care to people in one of the nursing homes, and investigated the results of post-treatment. After the care, the salivary flow rate, the level of mutans streptococci, and CH3SH were improved when compared with pre-treatment, and there was little change of Candida.
The results suggest that the number of opportunistic pathogens, such as Candida or staphyococci, is extremely high in the nursing home group when compared to the control group.However, it was difficult to reduce the number of Candida with the oral health care.
