TY - JOUR T1 - The Oral-Lung Axis: The Impact of Oral Health on Lung Health JF - Respiratory Care SP - 1211 LP - 1220 DO - 10.4187/respcare.07332 VL - 65 IS - 8 AU - Nathaniel T Gaeckle AU - Alexa A Pragman AU - Kathryn M Pendleton AU - Arianne K Baldomero AU - Gerard J Criner Y1 - 2020/08/01 UR - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/65/8/1211.abstract N2 - 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 ER -