Improvements in Pneumonia Status After Oral Care Intervention in Taiwan

Hospitalization prevalence and days of each hospitalization due to pneumonia were collected from medical records by questionnaire.

Total salivary and sputum bacterial concentrations were determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Staphylococcus aureus (strain ID: ATCC 29213) was used to create the standard growth curve of bacteria. After overnight culture, the samples were prepared by 5-fold serial dilution with normal saline and plating in a Petri dish to produce 2.5×103 to 3.9×107 CFU/mL of bacteria. Genomic DNA of bacteria was extracted from 1 mL of each bacterial serial solution using the modified standard method, which followed three basic steps: lysis, precipitation, and purification. The DNA extracts were resuspended in 20 µL of distilled water and stored at -80°C until real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification. The standard curve of bacterial concentration was generated by the bacterial 16S rRNA gene using a serial dilution of Staphylococcus aureus genomic DNA and StepOnePlus Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems).

Oral health examinations were conducted by two trained dentists, and data on plaque, gingival, and tongue coating indexes were collected by oral examination tables.

Demographic data included gender, age groups, conscious, educational level, and nutritional route, which were collected by questionnaire.