Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Oral microbial flora and oral malodour of the institutionalised elderly in Japan
1Department of Geriatric Dentistry, Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine, Yokohama, Japan. honda-eiki@tsurumi-u.ac.jp
Objectives:
To determine the oral health status, especially the level of oral microbial flora and oral malodour, of institutionalised elderly people compared with non-institutionalised elderly people.
Setting:
Three institutions and numerous private homes.
Subjects:
56 institutionalised and 56 non-institutionalised elderly people.
Main Outcome Measures:
Institutionalised elderly people had higher levels of candida, staphylococci, and oral malodour.
Results:
Institutionalised elderly people had a higher level of candida in denture wearers, and a higher level of staphylococci and oral malodour compared with the non-institutionalised elderly.
Conclusion:
The institutionalised elderly have a higher risk of opportunistic infections and oral health care should be improved to protect them from these infections and to reduce oral malodour.
Related Concept Videos
Development of Human Microbiota
The Oral Microbiota
Development of the Oral Microbiota
Microbiota Modulation by Antibiotics
Microbiota of the Stomach and Small Intestine
Microbiome of the Eye
