Sleeping in dentures leads to an increased risk of pneumonia in the elderly, a new study shows. Poor oral health and hygiene are recognized as heightened risk factors for pneumonia in the elderly. To find modifiable oral health-related risk factors, lead researcher Toshimitsu Iinuma, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Japan, and a team of researchers investigated connections between a variety of oral health behaviors and occurrences of pneumonia in community-living elders ages 85 years and older. The study,  titled “Denture Wearing During Sleep Doubles the Risk of Pneumonia in Very Elderly,” has been published by the International and American Associations for Dental Research in the OnlineFirst portion of the Journal of Dental Research.

At baseline, 524 randomly selected seniors (228 males, 296 females) with an average age of 87.8, were examined for oral health status and oral hygiene behaviors in addition to medical assessment, including blood chemistry analysis and were followed up yearly until initial hospitalization or death from pneumonia. During the three-year follow-up period, there were 48 event associated with pneumonia (20 deaths and 28 acute hospitalizations). According to the official press release, of the 453 denture wearers, 186 (40.8%) who slept in dentures were at an increased risk for pneumonia than those who removed their dentures at night.

According to the American Lung Association, pneumonia is a common lung infection caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, with symptoms that range from mild to severe.