Becker’s Dental Review (9/24, Adams) reported a new study found that “patients who maintain routine dental care are less likely to acquire ventilator-associated pneumonia.” For the study, “DentaQuest used the IBM Watson MarketScan Medicaid Database to analyze inpatient administrative claims data for Medicaid ICU patients from 2016 to 2018,” finding “patients with at least one preventive dental visit within three years of being placed on a ventilator are 22 percent less likely to be diagnosed with ventilator-associated pneumonia than those who did not.”

Dental professionals can find additional information on oral-systemic health on an ADA Science & Research Institute-developed Oral Health Topics page.

For the latest cross-disciplinary research in clinical dentistry and medicine, sign up for PracticeUpdate Clinical Dentistry. This free web channel, presented by the ADA and Elsevier, features curated summaries from hundreds of journals, along with expert commentary, news and continuing education opportunities that give dental professionals crucial information that can enhance the overall health of their patients.