Routine Dental Prophylaxis May Reduce Harboring Staphylococcus aureus in Oral Cavity.

Background: Pneumonia shows higher rates of morbidity and mortality in elderly and compromised individuals. Poor oral health has been suggested to be a significant risk factor for the disease, though little is known about acquisition of pathogens that could cause bacterial pneumonia. We investigated the prevalence of respiratory pathogens harbored in the oral cavity of independent elderly. Materials and Methods: The study cohort consisted of 110 community-dwelling, independent elderly. Dental examinations were conducted by 5 dentists, and information regarding oral health was collected by questionnaire. 12 species of opportunistic pathogens were detected in saliva and identified. Results: Polymerase chain reaction results revealed opportunistic pathogens in 67.3% of the participants, with Klebsiella pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens, and Candida spp. isolated from 4, 38, 17, 3, and 38 participants, respectively. Age was significantly lower in participants harboring H. influenzae and higher in participants with Candida albicans. 82 of the participants received routine dental prophylaxis and showed a significantly lower rate of S. aureus colonization while the frequency of dental prophylaxis had no relationship with the colonization of S. aureus. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that elderly individuals who receive routine dental prophylaxis prevent oral colonization by S. aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]