Oral hygiene reduces respiratory infections in elderly bed-bound nursing home patients.

In the elderly, aspiration is a common and serious problem. A procedure to minimize respiratory infections caused by silent aspiration was conducted on elderly bed-bound nursing home patients who suffered mainly from cerebral infarction and dementia. Oral care was provided by a dentist and a dental hygienist once a day and the mouth cleansed with povidone iodine by nurses after each meal to restrict respiratory bacterial infection caused by silent aspiration. In period I, neither group of patients received particular care. In period II, the A group was orally cared for and the B group was not cared for. In period III, the A group was not cared for and B group was cared for. During oral treatment for 6 months, febrile days did not improve but degradation of febrile days were prevented by oral care in a limited number of patients. We suggest that oral care may be useful to some extent in elderly patients to prevent respiratory infections.