Take your toothbrush to the hospital to avoid infections

April 11--When packing for a hospital stay, be sure to take your toothbrush. It might just save your life.

Hospital-acquired infections, also known as health care-associated infections, are caused by viral and bacterial pathogens, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging people to take their toothbrush to the hospital and brush their teeth several times a day as a prophylactic.

Approximately 1.7 million HAIs occur in U.S hospitals every year, resulting in 99,000 deaths and costing estimated $20 billion. The good news is a recent study showed a significant drop in HAIs, according to the CDC.

Although the research is ongoing, "There is some research showing good oral care can prevent health care-associated pneumonia, but this has not been fully researched," said Dr. Bryan Burke, an internist at Lehigh Valley Hospital--Pocono, East Stroudsburg.

Tracking hospital-acquired pneumonia -- the most virulent of HAIs -- the CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, in a joint effort, tracked the number of patients infected with hospital-acquired pneumonia. What they found was nearly 31 percent of adults died in 2016.

Realizing patients were at a serious risk for secondary infections or illness, the CDC established new baselines for health care facilities and procedures for curbing HAIs. As part of the changes, one pilot program proved to provide success in lowering HAIs.

Promising study

The study, an oral hygiene pilot program at Baker's Hospital, Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, California, reported promising results. The program involved 50,000 toothbrushes, and every patient was told to brush several times a day. Using 2010-2011 as a baseline, researchers found that from May 2012 through December 2014, hospital-acquired pneumonia cases were down by 70 percent.

The study makes sense to Dr. Donald Biffen, a dentist and co-owner of Biffen Family Dentistry, East Stroudsburg. "Bacteria and viruses enter the body through the mouth, so if the patient is practicing good oral hygiene, there is less chance germs and bacteria can travel down the throat and infect the patient," he said.

More hospitals on board

Considering the cost of treatment for just one case of pneumonia can cost $40,000 and possibly your life, brushing four times a day while in the hospital seems like a no brainer to Carol Quinn, a clinical nurse specialist involved with the pilot program at Sutter Medical Center. "You can buy a lot of toothbrushes for that," she said.

For the past two years, New York University'sLangone Health in New York, has used a pre-surgery brushing program. Patients go to the operating room within 20 minutes of brushing their teeth.

"Brushing your teeth works the same as washing your hands often. You wash your hands to remove the bacteria on your hands, so washing your teeth and mouth works the same way to reduce bacteria," Biffen said.

Although significant progress has been made in preventing some infection types, there is more work to be done. On any given day, about one in 25 patients has at least one HAI, according to the CDC.

"The takeaway from this would be, if you are in the hospital, you need to brush your teeth several times a day," Biffen said.

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