Nosocomial pneumonia and oral health.
This article will critically review the evidence linking pneumonia to the aspiration of microbe-laden oropharyngeal secretions and tie that to the predisposition for these processes to affect dependent, medically compromised individuals. The goal of this review is to alert the reader to the role that oral disease and oral health play in fostering and preventing, respectively, widespread and potentially fatal pulmonary disease among high-risk individuals.
Shay
Kenneth
K
Veterans Integrated Service Network #11, Dept. of Veterans Affairs, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. kenneth.shay@med.va.gov
Scannapieco
Frank A
FA
Terpenning
Margaret S
MS
Smith
Barbara J
BJ
Taylor
George W
GW
D003428:Cross Infection / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology*; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*