Daily Toothbrushing Linked To Lower Risk Of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia, Study Finds

MedPage Today (12/18, Kahn) reports, “Daily toothbrushing was associated with lower rates of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality, according to results from a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.” In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, “daily toothbrushing was associated with a reduced risk of HAP (risk ratio [RR] 0.67, 95% CI 0.56-0.81) and a reduced risk of ICU mortality (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.95), reported” researchers. Healio (12/18, Rhoades, Hornick) reports, “There was also a significant reduction in pneumonia incidence among patients on invasive mechanical ventilation whose teeth were brushed daily (RR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.57-0.82) but not among those who were not on invasive mechanical ventilation.”