Protocolo de Higiene Oral para Establecimientos de Larga Estadía para Adultos Mayores en Estado de Pandemia COVID-19. Prevención de Neumonía por Aspiración

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Why is oral health important in the prevention of respiratory diseases in times of pandemic? The reason is simple, any respiratory disease in the elderly could eventually trigger a positive COVID-19 alarm, and this could be caused by another reason, not to mention the increased risk of having a previous respiratory-type illness in times of pandemic, over everything, in a population of risk like the institutionalized older people. For this reason, the prevention of oral hygiene in older people through a Protocol that proposes guidelines to be followed in long-stay establishments for older adults, is essential in the prevention of aspiration Pneumonia. It is worth mentioning that, before the emergence of COVID-19, Pneumonia was considered the main cause of death from infectious diseases in the Chilean population and the first specific cause of death in those over 80 years of age.