The underestimated problem of oral colonization-An observational pilot study in one nursing home.

Objectives: Older people are at increased risk of intraoral yeast colonization. In this observational case series, we assessed colonization among nine nursing home residents to investigate possible correlations with their individual characteristics, general health parameters, and oral care. We also described the effect of professional dental cleaning (PDC) including prosthesis cleaning on colonization cases.

Materials And Methods: General clinical and oral health was assessed in nine residents, and samples were taken from six oral mucosa sites or prosthetic surfaces. PDC was performed to achieve macroscopically clean results, and residents were re-examined 2 weeks later.

Results: We found that six residents were intraorally colonized with ; four also had . Prostheses were particularly infected. Dementia, multimorbidity, and presence of prostheses reduced oral hygiene ability; requiring assistance for oral hygiene care was a risk indicator for colonization. PDC reduced (at the expense of increased ) but was not optimal for maintaining reduction.

Conclusion: In this pilot study, colonization is prevalent among nursing home residents, especially those with cognitive impairment, multimorbidity, or reduced oral hygiene capacity. Potential negative effects on general health necessitate diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines. PDC alone did not maintain the reduction in colonization; additional methods for daily oral care are necessary.