Preventing pneumonia during hospital stays could be as simple as brushing a patient’s teeth, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine.
A team led by Drs. Selina Ehrenzeller and Michael Klompas of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts reviewed 15 randomized clinical trials of oral care regimens during hospital stays. The trials were conducted between 2009 and 2022 around the world and included 2,786 patients from Iran, Brazil, India, Spain, China, the United States, Malaysia, and Taiwan. In most studies, patients had their teeth brushed with chlorhexidine gluconate (11 studies) or a simple plaque-removing toothpaste two or three times daily, between four and five times a week. Patients had their teeth brushed either by dental professionals or nondental nursing staff.
