Oral Hygiene Protocol for Long-Term Establishments for Older Adults in a State of Pandemic COVID-19. Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention

Francisco Díaz Méndez & Julio Huerta Fernández

Summary

Why is oral health important in the prevention of respiratory diseases in times of pandemic? The reason is simple, any respiratory disease in the elderly could eventually trigger a positive COVID-19 alarm, and this could be caused by another reason, not to mention the increased risk of having a previous respiratory-type illness in times of pandemic, over everything, in a population of risk like the institutionalized older people. For this reason, the prevention of oral hygiene in older people through a Protocol that proposes guidelines to be followed in long-stay establishments for older adults, is essential in the prevention of aspiration Pneumonia. It is worth mentioning that, before the emergence of COVID-19, Pneumonia was considered the main cause of death from infectious diseases in the Chilean population and the first specific cause of death in those over 80 years of age.

KEYWORDS: aged, homes for the aged, aspiration pneumonia, COVID-19, guideline for oral health.

How to cite this article

DÍAZ, M. F. & HUERTA, F. J. Oral Hygiene Protocol for LongTerm Establishments for Older Adults in a State of Pandemic COVID-19. Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention. Int. J. Odontostomat., 14(4):508-512, 2020.