Brushing Teeth Saves Lives In Pneumonia Patient Study

The humble toothbrush has emerged as a medical marvel in a new study into pneumonia rates for hospitalised patients. Who would have thought in this era of billion dollar high tech medical machines that a stick with a small brush on its end would make such a big difference. Brushing teeth saves lives in pneumonia patient study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute researchers examined the role of daily tooth brushing among hospital patients and discovered health related gold. Keeping patients safe from infections in hospitals is a major problem and if something as simple as regular oral care via tooth brushing reduces rates of pneumonia this is important.

Daily Tooth Brushing Reduces Rates Of Pneumonia In Hospital Patients

Wise women and men often tell us paying attention to the simple things in life delivers dividends. Oral hygiene care is something that dentists bang on about all the time. Kids, if fortunate enough to have solid parents, are instructed to brush their teeth morning and night. This ritual, involving brush and toothpaste, is the bedrock upon which much of parenting is based. Constant reminders about this from mum and dad echo in all our memory chambers of childhood. The nagging about cleaning your teeth is right up there with that of making sure we went to the toilet. Annoying, to be sure, but it underlined the practical love bestowed upon us by our parents. Probably we were lucky in this instance, as too many kids missed out on this to their detriment. Now, we know that brushing teeth on a daily basis reduces the chances of serious illness in hospital patients.

“The signal that we see here towards lower mortality is striking — it suggests that regular toothbrushing in the hospital may save lives,” said corresponding author Michael Klompas, MD, MPH, hospital epidemiologist and an infectious disease physician in the Department of Medicine at BWH and Professor of Population Medicine at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. “It’s rare in the world of hospital preventative medicine to find something like this that is both effective and cheap. Instead of a new device or drug, our study indicates that something as simple as brushing teeth can make a big difference.”
– Selina Ehrenzeller, Michael Klompas. Association Between Daily Toothbrushing and Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia.

Pneumonia Global Killer & Oral Hygiene

The results of this study are like a shot in the arm for oral hygiene and the messaging of dentists. It is a very real reminder to all of us how important the basics can be when it comes to oral care. Our mouths are portals to our insides. Gateways to the inner workings of our bodies and therefore very vulnerable to microbial infections. Bacteria can enter via the mouth and then go on to infect the lungs of patients in the hospital setting. Of course, this happens in everyday life, countless times to millions of people around the globe, as well.

“Pneumonia is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. It is a condition of the inflammation of the lungs, specifically in the alveoli, which are millions of tiny air sacs that help us take in oxygen. In pneumonia, these alveoli become filled with pus and fluid, which makes breathing painful and reduces our ability to take in oxygen from the air we breathe and exhale carbon dioxide. Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. It can develop from a range of different infections, which are caused by different pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi. This includes, for example, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and more. These pathogens are contagious and can spread when a person coughs or sneezes.”
– Our World in Data: Pneumonia

Hospitals & The Over-Prescription Of Antibiotics

The results of this study are a further reminder to hospital administrators and the medical establishment, who are often in the grip of drug companies and medical technology corporations, that money is not always the answer to health issues. The human body itself is a biological marvel and not merely the sum of its parts. In this instance, it shows that with a little oral care via regular tooth brushing it can stave off the preponderance of bad bacteria found in hospitals. Hospitals are full of sick people and lack healthy ventilation. Traditionally hospital food has been dreadful because medical specialists have not rated nutrition highly enough in the scheme of things. Antibiotics and antivirals from “Big Pharma” have garnered the greater respect in the hospital and medical fraternity to the detriment of patient nutrition. The results of this pneumonia and oral care study for hospital patients supports a different narrative outside of the capitalism-driven health care so prevalent across the Western World. This is not only a win for dentists but one for all of us human beings. The over-prescription of antibiotics globally is causing serious problems for hospitals with the advent of superbugs resistant to the current antibiotics available. This is the result of drug companies pushing products onto doctors and the financial incentive to oversubscribe at every level of medical intervention. GPs in Australia are running small businesses and they are the conduits between pharmaceutical companies, their products, and consumers via chemists.

“Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health challenge, which has accelerated by the overuse of antibiotics worldwide. Increased antimicrobial resistance is the cause of severe infections, complications, longer hospital stays and increased mortality. Overprescribing of antibiotics is associated with an increased risk of adverse effects, more frequent re-attendance and increased medicalization of self-limiting conditions. Antibiotic overprescribing is a particular problem in primary care, where viruses cause most infections. About 90% of all antibiotic prescriptions are issued by general practitioners, and respiratory tract infections are the leading reason for prescribing. “
– NCBI.gov

Conclusions Regarding Oral Care & Hospital Patients Study

What can we take away from the revelations inherent within this study about tooth brushing and reduced rates of pneumonia in hospital patients? First and foremost it is a win for dentists and our oral hygiene messaging to all. Cleaning our teeth at least twice a day, morning and night, may seem old news and even passe – but it is not! Oral care in this format remains a top priority to maintain optimal health. What we are seeing is the correlation between oral hygiene and our general health level reaffirmed by numerous studies. The artificial separation between dental and the rest of the body is decidedly unhelpful. Specialisation has led us here and it devalues things to the detriment of our appreciation and understanding of wholistic health and wellbeing. It is time to see oral health care as a flag bearer for the rest of our physical wellbeing. No one can afford to neglect their oral hygiene if they wish to maintain good health. 

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