International Journal of General Medicine (Apr 2024)

Lack of Physician-Dentist Collaboration in Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention

  • Miyagami T,
  • Teranaka S,
  • Mine Y,
  • Matsumoto T,
  • Yoshimatsu Y,
  • Matsumoto S,
  • Yamaguchi K,
  • Morikawa T

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 17
pp. 1293 – 1295

Abstract

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Taiju Miyagami,1 Satoshi Teranaka,2 Yuichiro Mine,1 Tomohiro Matsumoto,3 Yuki Yoshimatsu,4,5 Shinichi Matsumoto,6 Kohei Yamaguchi,7 Toru Morikawa8,9 1Department of General Medicine, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Japanese Red Cross Ashikaga Hospital, Tochigi, Japan; 3Division of General Medicine, Nerima Hikarigaoka Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; 4Elderly Care, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, London, UK; 5Centre for Exercise Activity and Rehabilitation, School of Human Sciences, University of Greenwich, London, UK; 6Yushoukai Home Care Clinic Katsushika, Tokyo, Japan; 7Department of Dysphagia Rehabilitation, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan; 8Department of General Medicine, Nara City Hospital, Nara, Japan; 9Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, JapanCorrespondence: Taiju Miyagami, Department of General Medicine, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-8431, Japan, Tel +81-3-3813-3111, Fax +81-3-5802-1190, Email [email protected]: This opinion paper addresses the challenges and future directions for preventing aspiration pneumonia in Japan’s rapidly aging population. It highlights the increasing proportion of elderly individuals and the associated rise in health issues like decreased swallowing function, a risk factor for aspiration pneumonia. The paper emphasizes the effectiveness of dentist-provided oral care in preventing this condition but notes the lack of collaboration between dentists and physicians in Japan’s clinical practice. Key challenges identified include the scarcity of full-time hospital dentists, insufficient communication between physicians and dentists, limited patient understanding and motivation regarding oral care, and a lack of training in geriatric dentistry. The paper advocates for enhanced awareness among healthcare professionals and patients, increased hospital dentists, and improved collaboration mechanisms, particularly in light of recent positive changes in insurance reimbursement policies for elderly oral care.Keywords: dentist, aging, aspiration pneumonia, oral care

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