Association between oral health and swallowing function

ObjectiveOral care is effective for preventing pneumonia, but objective evaluation of its effect on swallowing is lacking. Oral assessment scores, such as the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT), are used to evaluate the oral environment to monitor oral care. Methods: We investigated the relationship between OHAT score and swallowing function in 24 patients aged 64-97 years. ResultsThe OHAT score did not correlate with the video endoscopy (VE) or video fluorography (VF) scores. Furthermore, the OHAT score was not significantly different between the multiple and no or single pneumonia episode groups. The group with multiple episodes of pneumonia had lower VE and VF scores than that with no or a single episode of pneumonia (p < 0.01). ConclusionsOral assessment, VE, and VF scores are necessary to evaluate swallowing in patients with suspected dysphagia. In addition, recurrent pneumonia among patients with a good oral environment has multiple contributing factors, including subclinical aspiration, pharyngeal clearance, and delayed activation of the gag reflex.