The benefits of brushing in hospital have been overlooked Drazen Zigic/Getty Images Brushing your teeth while being treated in hospital can significantly reduce your chances of falling ill with pneumonia. Many hospitalised patients don’t brush their teeth during their stay, probably for a variety of reasons. Some may have forgotten to bring a toothbrush, while others don’t think about it, feel unmotivated or are physically incapable of doing so. Medical staff often do not include routine oral hygiene care as part of their services to patients. But in the largest randomised controlled trial of its kind, patients equipped with a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental care advice in hospitals were 60 per cent less likely to develop a common form of hospital-acquired pneumonia, says Brett Mitchell at Avondale University in Australia. “This just really enforces the need for communication with patients about pneumonia risk, and the importance of oral care and brushing their teeth whilst in hospital,” he says. It’s widely understood that patients on ventilators often develop pneumonia, due, in part, to the medical equipment …