Analysis of periodontal pathogens in care facilities for the elderly with dementia

Hyo-Jin Ko   Eun-Suk Jeon   Hye-Jin Kim1,*   

Departments of Dental Hygiene, Choonhae College Of Health Sciences
1Departments of Biomedical Health Science, Graduate School, Dongeui University

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this research is to examine oral pathogen distribution among elderly with dementia in a care facility to understand the importance of preventively managing oral diseases in terms of preventively managing senile diseases. Methods: From 11th August 2015 to 11th October 2015, gingival crevicular fluid was collected from 130 subjects consisting of demented/non-demented elderly people aged above 65 in care facilities located in the regions of Busan/Gyeonggnam. Based on collected data, real-time PCR analysis on oral pathogen was conducted. Results: The demented elderly group consisting of female patients aged from 0 to 79 indicated higher ratios of T. denticola in comparison to the non-demented elderly group, and the demented elderly group consisting of female patients aged above 80 indicated a high ratio of S. mutans. It was confirmed that P. gingivalis and T. forsythensis categorized under the red complex are correlated, and that bacterial species categorized under the orange complex and bacterial species categorized under the red complex are correlated. Conclusions: Because eldery people with demntia are exposed to periodontal disease and dental caries, their oral environments are more vulnerable. In order to improve such environments, it is necessary to provide care facility personnel with an opportunity to receive education to become aware of the importance of oral health, and it is also necessary to compulsorily assign dental hygienists to care facilities so that they can serve as personnel specializing in oral health management.

Figures & Tables

Table 1. Used strains in this study