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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Investigation of oral opportunistic pathogens in independent living elderly Japanese
Taiji Ogawa1, Kazunori Ikebe, Kaori Enoki
1Department of Prosthodontics and Oral Rehabilitation, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Objective:
Pneumonia is reported to be associated with high morbidity in elderly and compromised individuals, with poor oral health demonstrated to be a significant risk factor for pneumonia. Several opportunistic pathogens, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, have been detected in patients with pneumonia. We investigated the prevalence of opportunistic pathogens in the oral cavity of healthy independent living Japanese elderly subjects and analysed factors related to harbouring those pathogens.
Materials And Methods:
We studied 265 subjects, each of whom received a dental examination, during which specimens were collected with a tongue swab and examined for the presence of 10 oral opportunistic pathogens using single or multiple selective media. Furthermore, the presence of occult blood in saliva was examined using test paper strips.
Results:
Oral opportunistic pathogens were detected in 13.6% of the subjects. Those positive for occult blood in saliva had a significantly higher rate of harbouring the pathogens (p < 0.05). In addition, age was a significant factor for the presence of pathogenic microbes in the oral cavity (p = 0.033).
Conclusion:
Positive findings of occult blood in saliva and older age are suggested to be significant factors for harbouring opportunistic pathogens in the oral cavity.
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