Happy Swallowing Awareness Day! Today is the day we look to raise awareness and celebrate Swallowing Awareness Day. Swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) affect from 1.7% up to 16.4% of the population. Swallowing difficulties can affect almost anyone, right from neonates to frail elderly people. One estimate suggests that up to 75% of nursing home residents have dysphagia!
In celebration of Swallow Awareness Day we are going to be discussing the importance of good oral hygiene when you have dysphagia or swallowing difficulties.
First of all, good oral hygiene is a good idea for everyone and not just to avoid smelly breath! Poor oral hygiene is linked to tooth decay, gum disease and oral cancer, however it’s also linked to other serious health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.
So why would good oral hygiene be important if you have dysphagia? Well for a number of reasons really, but one of the most important factors being that if you have swallowing difficulties then you have a high risk of food, drink, saliva or medication being aspirated or “going down the wrong way” into your lungs. Now, think about the number of bacteria in your mouth if you have not cleaned your teeth/gums/tongue. Then, think about the food or drink you just ate (and potentially aspirated) going down into your lungs carrying the huge load of bacteria from your mouth with it because your mouth wasn’t clean. This significantly increases the risks of an aspiration pneumonia or a nasty chest infection developing.
And another thing when it comes to oral hygiene: I can’t tell you the number of times I have asked someone about their or a loved one’s oral hygiene and they’ve said “well he doesn’t have any teeth”. It’s a huge misconception that if you don’t have teeth, then your mouth doesn’t need cleaning. Mouths without teeth still harbour bacteria and are still at risk of gum disease and oral cancer, just as those with teeth are. Also, if you or your loved one are “nil by mouth” i.e. they get their nutrition non-orally, then the importance of oral hygiene surprisingly is even MORE important than those who eat orally. That’s because our saliva is protective against nasty bacteria and those who are nil by mouth tend to have less saliva than people who eat orally and therefore, people who are nil by mouth have more bacteria and need better oral hygiene.
So, the takeaway is: whether you eat orally or not, have swallowing difficulties or not, or if you care about having smelly breath or not, please don’t neglect your oral hygiene. Happy Swallowing Awareness day everyone!!
