Oral health

Oral health is an umbrella term used to describe the general condition of the mouth, including teeth, gums, and the tongue, and any effects associated with disease, infection, decay, or trauma. Because problems involving teeth and gums can be critical in early detection (and treatment) of wider problems within the body, regular and informed care to maintain good oral health is widely recommended within the medical community. Additionally, oral health is a concern at any age; dental issues or disease can impact an individual at any time. The goal, stressed by the American Dental Association (ADA), is for people to maintain a healthy mouth, including strong teeth and gums, throughout their lives. However, while some aspects of oral health can largely be controlled, such as practicing dental care to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease, some cannot, such as cancer. Because many people do not or cannot visit a dentist regularly, oral health and dental care typically rely upon individual care of the teeth and gums; that regimen includes attention to a balanced diet and nutrition, especially avoiding personal habits (most prominently smoking and smokeless tobacco; excessive alcohol consumption; and mouth piercings such as to the lip and tongue) that dramatically impact oral health.

Background

While a large part of oral health pertains to tooth decay (mainly cavities) and gum disease, it also involves many more issues that can occur in the mouth, including bad breath (halitosis), dry mouth, canker sores, persistent jaw pain (known as temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ)), cold sores, oral cancers, and bacterial infections along the interiors of the mouth, known collectively as thrush. Each is treatable, but only with both proper care and regular checks by dental professionals. Dental care professionals point out that while most people do not pursue any sort of dental care until they feel persistent pain or discomfort, such pain can actually be prevented by regular checkups, early detection, and targeted treatment. Though anyone could develop a form of oral cancer (lip, tongue, etc.), studies have shown that heavy use of tobacco and alcohol can increase one’s risk. Additionally, dental checks regarding oral problems such as lesions could help to reveal other health-related issues in the body, such as infections or systemic diseases.

Chronic dry mouth is often a result of poor oral health. Diet, excessive alcohol intake, smoking, spicy foods, even over-the-counter medication and prescriptions can significantly drain the mouth’s saliva reserve. In addition to creating the familiar cotton mouth, dry mouth (and chapped lips) can lead to the development of cold sores and canker sores as well as mouth and gum infections, as the mouth cannot naturally clean itself.

Diet is essential in oral health—excessive sugar supplements, candy, carbonated beverages, and chewing gum take an enormous toll on the teeth. A diet rich in calcium, most prominently milk, yogurt, and cheese, can help develop and maintain the design of the tooth’s structure. In addition, fibrous fruits and vegetables—most notably apples, leafy greens, and celery—help maintain a healthy mouth by requiring more chewing, generating a greater amount of saliva, which helps to combat the bacteria that causes tooth decay. Dentists recommend thoroughly rinsing with plain tap water in between meals or after snacking until brushing is possible.

Oral Health Today

Despite the monumental advances in oral health care since the 1980s, a revolution that virtually redesigned the contemporary dental office and its equipment as well as treatment protocols, the basics for oral health, in addition to annual checkups, have remained virtually unchanged since the ADA first set out oral care guidelines. Brushing vigorously (for at least two minutes) in the morning and in the evenings keeps a check on bacterial growth that can lead to bad breath and ultimately to tooth decay and damage to both the enamel and the tooth’s dentin layer just below the surface. One major revolution in dental care since 2000 has been the rise of the spinning electronic toothbrush, a cleaning device that mimics the close clean of high-powered dental office brushes by working both the top of the teeth as well as the crevices and niches between teeth and the back teeth, which are easy to ignore. However, brushing has never been enough. Oral care also involves flossing daily to clean between teeth where decay most often starts. In addition, people are advised to rinse with a fluoride mouthwash once a day to help coat the teeth and provide protection against any bacterial growth. Finally, dentists encourage replacing a toothbrush every three months to avoid bacterial buildup.

As early as 1990, however, the ADA began to notice a significant drop in available dental care because fewer students are graduating from dental schools. Practicing dentists have also become increasingly difficult to access—inner city neighborhoods, remote rural areas, and small towns struggle to attract long-term dental care. In addition, other broad socioeconomic classes do not have regular access to dental care largely due to cost—most notably, the homeless, the poor, and the elderly.

At the same time, available oral health care is underutilized. By far the most preventable problem in oral health is tooth decay. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), however, as of 2012, nearly 100 percent of adults worldwide had been treated for at least one cavity, despite the fact that the tooth has a durable outer lining of enamel that can protect the tooth for a lifetime with proper care. Because of the expense of dental care (and the fact that insurance covering such procedures is often an extra expense), and given the widespread, deeply ingrained fear associated with visits to the dentist (despite technological advances that have revolutionized the most common office visit procedures), many people opt not to engage in regular dental care. Therefore, gum disease (including gingivitis and periodontitis) also remains widespread—the WHO reports that as of 2012, 15 to 20 percent of adults ages thirty-five to forty-four had severe periodontal disease. Gum disease, left untreated, can cause pain, excessive bleeding at the lightest touch, complex mouth and throat infections, and ultimately trauma to the tooth root and loss of the tooth.

Bibliography

Artemis, N. Holistic Dental Care: The Complete Guide to Healthy Teeth and Gums. Berkeley: North Atlantic, 2013. Print.

Bonner, Michael P., and Earl L. Mindell. The Oral Health Bible. North Bergen: Basic Health, 2003. Print.

Breiner, Mark A. Whole-Body Dentistry: A Complete Guide to Understanding the Impact of Dentistry on Total Health. Fairfield: Quantum Health, 2011. Print.

Kimbrough, Vickie J., and Karen Henderson. Oral Health Education. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2006. Print.

"Oral Health." American Dental Association. ADA, n.d. Web. 25 Aug. 2016.

"Oral Health." World Health Organization. WHO, Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Aug. 2016.

Palmer, Carole A., and Linda D. Boyd. Diet and Nutrition in Oral Health. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2016. Print.

Polverini, Peter J. Personalized Oral Health Care: From Concept Design to Clinical Practice. New York: Springer, 2015. Print.