The impact of hospitalization on dental plaque accumulation: an observational study

Aim To investigate the effect of hospitalization on oral health as assessed by dental plaque. Materials and Methods Observational study in a critical care unit (CCU). Participants were recruited within 24 h of admission. Dental plaque amount was assessed at baseline, 1 and 2 weeks using the Debris index‐soft deposits (Greene & Vermillion 1960). Results Fifty participants were recruited with 36 available for outcome assessment at 1 week and 10 at 2 weeks. The principal reason for losses was early discharge with no evidence of a difference between patients present only at baseline and those present at 1 week. The median value for dental plaque at baseline was 4 (95% CI: 4, 6). The median dental plaque increase from baseline to week 1 was 1.5 (95% CI: −1, 4), and this was statistically significant (p = 0.04). The median increase from week 1 to week 2 was 1.0 (95% CI −8, 6) and not statistically significant (p = 0.68). Conclusions Oral health as assessed by dental plaque deteriorates following hospitalization in CCU. Such change could lead to impairment of quality of life and well‐being as well as to increasing the risk of important healthcare‐associated infections such as nosocomial pneumonia.