Abstract
Poor oral health has long been recognized as a clinical risk factor for developing lung infections. Recent data using culture-independent techniques assessing the microbiome in healthy subjects have demonstrated that chronic microaspiration establishes a very similar microbial community between the mouth and lung, suggesting these 2 anatomic regions are closely intertwined. Dental disease is driven and aided by a dysbiosis in the oral microbiome, and evidence is mounting that implicates the microbiome in a variety of lung diseases including asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, and pneumonia. This review describes common dental conditions and potential mechanisms by which poor oral health may contribute to lung disease. We also review the current literature drawing associations between poor oral health and lung disease
Footnotes
- Correspondence: Nathaniel T Gaeckle MD, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep, 350 Variety Club Research Center, MMC 276, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. E-mail: gaeckle{at}umn.edu
This material is based upon work supported in part by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development. The contents of the publication do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.
Dr Criner has disclosed relationships with PulmonX, Broncus Medical, Eolo Medical, Olypmus Corporation, PneumRx, Uptake Medical Technology, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Astra Zeneca, Respironics, Medimmune, Actelion, Forest, Pearl, Ikaria, Aeris, HGE Health Care Solutions, and Holaira GSK. The other authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest.
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