Fig. 3

Oral bacterial counts. a Oral bacterial counts, b Effect of oral care as assessed by bacterial count. a Oral bacteria levels at the time of admission were analyzed using a bacteria count-measuring instrument, which is a dielectrophoretic impedance measuring system. The bacterial concentration (cfu/ml) in 1 ml of a sample is shown in a logarithmic scale. b Oral care was performed by nursing staff. In comparison before and after oral care, the solid lines indicate that oral bacterial counts have decreased, and the dotted lines indicate that oral bacterial counts have increased. Abbreviations: AP, aspiration pneumonia; Con, control; CAP, community-acquired pneumonia