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Effect of poor oral health status at hospital admission on in-hospital outcomes of older patients with aspiration pneumonia

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Key summary points

AbstractSection Aim

To examine whether oral health status at admission would be a useful indicator of in-hospital outcomes.

AbstractSection Findings

This study found that poor oral health status at admission was associated with a longer length of hospital stay after adjusting for age, sex, and functional oral intake scale scores.

AbstractSection Message

Oral health status is critical in preventing the onset of and treating aspiration pneumonia.

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the effects of oral health status at admission on in-hospital outcomes and how it varies during hospitalization in older patients with aspiration pneumonia.

Methods

This prospective cohort study involved patients aged ≥ 65 years who were admitted to an acute care hospital with a diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia. The patients’ basic health information, length of hospital stay (LOS), and oral health assessment tool (OHAT), functional oral intake scale (FOIS), pneumonia severity index, and clinical frailty scale scores were recorded. Patients were divided into two groups based on their median OHAT scores, and intergroup changes were analyzed as a function of time. The relationship between the LOS, FOIS score upon discharge, and OHAT scores at admission was examined using multiple regression analysis.

Results

Of the 89 participants (52 were men, with a mean age of 84.8 ± 7.9 years), 75 were discharged. The patients’ oral health was measured weekly for 3 weeks after the initial assessment via the OHAT, wherein the median score was 7, with a significant between-group difference. Moreover, OHAT scores improved within both groups throughout their stay. OHAT scores at admission were independently associated with the LOS (B = 5.51, P = 0.009).

Conclusion

Poor oral health status at admission was associated with longer hospital stays. Both the high- and low-OHAT groups showed OHAT score improvements. Oral health status is critical in preventing the onset of and treating aspiration pneumonia.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author.

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Funding

This study was funded by the Japanese Society of Hospital General Medicine.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dysphagia Rehabilitation, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan

    Kohei Yamaguchi, Ryoko Imada, Ryosuke Yanagida, Kazuharu Nakagawa, Kanako Yoshimi & Haruka Tohara

  2. Department of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University, Hongo 2-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan

    Taiju Miyagami, Seiko Kushiro & Toshio Naito

  3. Department of General Medicine, Nara City Hospital, 1-50-1 Tokijicho, Nara City, Nara, 630-8305, Japan

    Toru Morikawa

Authors
  1. Kohei Yamaguchi
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Contributions

KY: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, original draft preparation, writing, reviewing, and editing. TM: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, reviewing. RI: conceptualization, data curation, investigation, and validation. SK: methodology, data curation, investigation, and validation. RY: reviewing and editing. TM: conceptualization and reviewing. KN: reviewing and editing. KY: methodology and validation. TN: editing and validation. HT: writing, reviewing, editing, and supervision.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kohei Yamaguchi.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Ethics approval

This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee of Juntendo Tokyo Koto Geriatric Medical Centre (No. 111–10) and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Informed consent

A sufficient explanation was provided to the patients both in writing and orally, and written informed consent was obtained from the patients or their families.

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Yamaguchi, K., Miyagami, T., Imada, R. et al. Effect of poor oral health status at hospital admission on in-hospital outcomes of older patients with aspiration pneumonia. Eur Geriatr Med 15, 489–496 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-023-00917-4

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