The Prevalence of Oral Inflammation Among Denture Wearing Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

General and orofacial symptoms associated with acute and long COVID in 80- and 90-year-old Swedish COVID-19 survivors

OBJECTIVES

To describe acute and long COVID-19 symptoms among older elderly Swedes and to find predictive factors for the development symptoms associated with acute and long COVID.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A questionnaire about general and oral health was mailed to all 80-year-olds (born 1942, n = 6299) and 90-year-olds (born 1932, n = 1904) in two Swedish counties. Participants reporting COVID-19 were asked to complete an additional questionnaire.

RESULTS

Overall response rate was 66 % (n = 5375). Affirmative responses to having been sick/tested positive for COVID-19 were reported by 577 persons. Response rate to the COVID-19 questionnaire was 49 %. The majority (88 %) reported some general symptoms during the acute stage while 44 % reported orofacial symptom/s. Reporting of any form of long-COVID general symptoms was 37 and 35 % for orofacial symptoms. Predictive factors for contracting COVID-19 (based on self-report from 2017) were living in elderly housing/senior care facility (OR 1.6, CI 1.0-2.3), large number (>10) of weekly social contacts (OR 1.5, CI 1.3-1.9), being married (OR 1.4, CI 1.1-1.7) and high school/university education (OR 1.3 CI 1.1-1-6). The highest odds ratio for general symptoms of long-COVID were a single complete denture (OR 5.0, CI 2.0-12.3), reporting bad breath (OR 3.7, CI 1.9-7.2) and daytime dry mouth (OR 2.2, CI 1.1-4.2). Regarding long-COVID orofacial symptoms, the highest risk factors were bad breath (OR 3.8, CI 1.9-7.5) and a single complete denture in one jaw (OR 3.4, CI 1.2-9.8).

CONCLUSION

Long-COVID general and orofacial symptoms are common among older elderly COVID-19 survivors CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Oral microorganisms may be responsible for development of long-COVID symptoms. Health personnel managing COVID-19 patients should carefully examine dental status, especially in those having acrylic-based removable dentures, for oral signs and symptoms. If found, rigorous oral hygiene procedures should be carried out including cleaning/disinfection of the denture.

Oral Candidal Load and Oral Health Status in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Patients: A Case-Cohort Study

Objective

The objective of this study was to determine the candidal load of the patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and evaluate the oral health status of subjects with COPD. Material and Methods. N = 112 COPD subjects and N = 100 control subjects were included in the study. The selection of COPD cases was confirmed based on the set criteria from the American College of Physicians. The oral health status was assessed as per WHO criteria to determine the score of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT), significant caries index (SiC), community periodontal index and treatment needs (CPITN), and oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S). Gram staining was performed to identify Candida using the whole saliva. Quantitative evaluation of the candidal load was carried out using Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA). Chrome agar was used to differentiate between the commensal carriages. A statistical analysis paired t-test and 95% confidence interval (CI) for proportions was carried out using STATA software.

Results

Candidal growth was found in 21.42% (n = 24) of COPD cases and 1.1% (n = 11) of control cases (p < 0.05) (95% CI 0.45, 0.59). The DMFT score was 8.26 in COPD subjects and 4.6 in controls, the SiC score was 16.42 in COPD subjects and 10.25 in controls, and the CPITN score for both COPD and control cases was score 2.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there was a higher candidal load among subjects suffering from COPD. Theophylline medication can be a risk factor for increased candidal load in COPD patients.

The role of oral microbiome in respiratory health and diseases

The oral cavity (mouth) has various microbial habitats, including, teeth, gingival sulcus, gingiva, tongue, inner cheek, hard palate, and soft palate. The human oral cavity houses the second most diverse microbiome in the body harboring over 700 bacterial species. The fine-tuned equilibrium of the oral microbiome ecosystem maintains oral health. Oral dysbiosis caused by food habits and poor oral hygiene leads to various oral diseases such as periodontitis, caries, gingivitis, and oral cancer. Recent advances in technology have revealed the correlation between the oral microbiome and systemic diseases such as pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and other metabolic diseases. Since the oral cavity directly connects with the upper respiratory tract, the oral microbiome has easier access to the respiratory system compared to other organ systems. Direct aspiration of oral microflora in the respiratory system and oral dysbiosis-induced host immune reaction and inflammation are mainly responsible for various pulmonary complications. Numbers of literature have reported the correlation between oral diseases and pulmonary diseases, suggesting the possible role of the oral microbiome in respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, pneumonia, lung cancer, etc. This paper reviews the current evidence in establishing a link between the oral microbiome and pulmonary diseases. We also discuss future research directions focusing on the oral microbiome to unravel novel therapeutic approaches that could prevent or treat the various pulmonary complications.

Surface roughness of acrylic resins used for denture base after chemical disinfection: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to systematically review the literature regarding the surface roughness of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) for denture bases, disinfected with different chemical agents and analyse the outcomes of the included studies.

BACKGROUND

Various chemical disinfection protocols to clean the removable dental prosthesis are reported in the literature, however systematic reviews analysing the outcomes in the surface roughness of the PMMA are lacking.

METHODS

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist was used to structure this systematic review. The inclusion criteria were as follows: clinical trials, in vitro studies, studies in English and studies comparing the effects of chemical disinfection products on the surface roughness of PMMA. An electronic search was performed in the following databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science.; we also conducted a manual search for articles published in specific journals of dental prostheses and dental materials.

RESULTS

Thirteen in vitro studies in this systematic review and meta-analysis. According to the meta-analysis, the effects of 0.5% (P = .32; MD: 0.06; CI: -0.05 to 0.17; heterogeneity: P < .00001; I²  = 92%) and 1% NaOCl solutions (P = .27; MD: 0.01; CI: -0.01. to 0.03; heterogeneity: P = .03; I²  = 55%) did not statistically differ between the groups studied. Effects of alkaline peroxide were statistically significant (P = .0009; MD: 0.01; CI: 0.01-0.02; heterogeneity: P = .004; I²  = 65%), suggesting that it promotes deterioration of the PMMA surface.

CONCLUSION

The alkaline peroxide, when used as a disinfectant, generated changes on the surface roughness of PMMA and should be used with caution; however, NaOCl, even at different concentrations, caused fewer changes on the surface of the denture base.

Factors That Affect Oral Care Outcomes for Institutionalized Elderly

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an oral care intervention program on the incidence of pneumonia and fever as a surrogate endpoint. In addition, we tried to determine the oral care risk factors for the incidence of fever. We provided an oral care program for the elderly at one private nursing home in July 2013. The maximum capacity of the nursing home was 60 residents. The body temperatures of all residents were measured twice a day and were summarized as the incidence of fever over a one-month period, which was used as the dependent variable. The residents' life conditions, number of teeth, and prescribed diet were used as independent variables. The factors that affected the incidence of fever were the number of remaining teeth, a prescribed diet of sliced food, the meal care level, and the oral Candida levels. These risk factors affected the incidence of fever independently or interactively with oral care. Some risk factors for the incidence of fever were enhanced by the oral care program. It is important to evaluate and control these factors before the implementation of an oral care program.