Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2025
Murine Oropharyngeal Aspiration Model of Ventilator-associated and Hospital-acquired Bacterial Pneumonia
Published on: June 28, 2018
A Crossover Trial of a Novel Toothbrushing Method for Prevention of Aspiration Pneumonia: Toothpaste With
Madoka Funahara1, Akira Imakiire2, Ryuichiro Funahara3
1School of Oral Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Kyushu Dental University, Kitakyushu, JPN.
Introduction:
Toothbrushing, during which dental plaque is brushed off into the oral cavity, can increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia in older adults and intubated patients.
Methods:
This study examined brushing methods to prevent the spread of bacteria in the oral cavity. Six participants who required assistance with brushing received toothbrushing from a dental hygienist. Toothbrushing was performed using a toothbrush soaked in water (Water group), gel (Gel group), povidone-iodine solution (PV-I group), or a mixture of a moisturizing gel and povidone-iodine gel (PV-I+Gel group). The number of bacteria in the saliva before and after brushing was measured using a delayed real-time polymerase chain reaction, which can quantify the number of viable bacteria.
Results:
In the Water group, salivary bacterial counts increased significantly after brushing. The bacterial counts in the Gel and PV-I groups increased slightly after brushing; however, the increase was less than that observed in the Water group. In the PV-I+Gel group, the number of bacteria in the saliva was significantly reduced after brushing.
Conclusions:
In patients at risk for aspiration pneumonia, toothbrushing should be performed with a mixture of PV-I and a moisturizing gel. This method is a novel approach that reduces the risk of aspiration pneumonia in intubated patients and older adults requiring care, and its clinical application is expected in the future.
