Groundbreaking facts about oral health

 

Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

 

Dental care is an essential part of our daily lives. People often ignore the various predicaments related to oral health due to lack of knowledge or access to vital instrumental factors that help facilitate the process.



Dr. Ahmed Abdul Muqueeth (B.D.S, M.D.H.M) is a clinical analyst at Lumeris India, an American health care establishment and is also the owner of Muqueeth’s Multi-specialty Dental Care.



With over nine years of experience in the field of dentistry, he has spent the last six years developing administrative skills along with achieving laurels as a dentist by managing the team at his dental office.



During his trip to Jeddah, he spoke to Saudi Gazette about various causes, effects and treatments related to dental issues. He said oral health is a human right, an integral part of general health and essential for overall wellbeing.



SG: What is essential in dental care- what are the daily health requirements for gums and teeth?



AA: Dental care does not only involve teeth and gums but the entire Oral Cavity. The first section of the mouth is known as the oral cavity, or the mouth cavity.



It includes healthy gums, hard and soft palate, linings of the mouth and throat, tongue, lips, salivary glands, chewing muscles, upper and lower jaws.



The oral cavity plays a central role for intake of basic nutrition and protection against microbial infections.



The World Health Organization (WHO) defines oral health as “a state of being free from mouth and facial pain, oral and throat cancer, oral infection and sores, periodontal (gum) disease, tooth decay, tooth loss, and other diseases and disorders that limit an individual’s capacity in biting, chewing, smiling, speaking, and psychosocial wellbeing.



Only brushing twice a day is not enough. One should also floss in between the teeth to remove accumulated plaque, clean the tongue and of course have a dental checkup once in six months.



Having a checkup periodically helps to detect any arising dental problems so that they can be arrested in the initial phases and thereby improve oral health in specific and general health all together as a healthy mouth helps in having a healthy digestion.



SG: How often do you think one should visit the dentist?



AA: Visiting a dentist once in six months is advisable. Having a dental checkup periodically is advisable for people of all walks of life.



Even people wearing artificial dentures should visit a dentist periodically to check for any problems, which may arise.



SG: What can people do to improve their dental health?



AA: Brushing twice a day using the correct technique is very important to remove the tartar formed at the neck of the teeth (junction where the teeth meet the gum), flossing in between the teeth, cleaning the tongue, use of a mouth gargle if advised and checking for any accumulated content on the gums and any black or brown discoloration on the teeth.



Of course last but not the least periodic visit to a dentist are things which help improve the dental and oral health of a person.



SG: What foods help improve dental health?



AA: The best food choices for the health of your mouth include cheese, chicken or other meats, nuts, and milk.



These foods are thought to protect tooth enamel by providing the calcium and phosphorus needed to remineralize the teeth (a natural process by which minerals are redeposited in tooth enamel after being removed by acids).



Other food choices include firm/crunchy fruits (for example, apples and pears) and vegetables.



These foods have a high water content, which dilutes the effects of the sugars they contain, and stimulate the flow of saliva (which helps protect against decay by washing away food particles and buffering acid).



Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, and lemons, should be eaten as part of a larger meal to minimize the acid from them.



The best beverage choices include water (especially fluoridated water), milk and unsweetened tea.



SG: Which treatments are absolutely necessary, optional and cosmetic?



AA: Dental treatments are subject to condition. A periodic visit to a dental office will help one from arresting dental and oral problems at an early stage and thereby avoiding painful and costly treatments.



We cannot categorize any problem as optional because the rate of spread of a condition cannot be controlled.



What looks like a minor problem today can become a major one in few days or months. Cosmetic dentistry involves enhancing the smile of a person.



With the advancement in dental materials many cosmetic treatments are now made affordable. Most common sought after ones are whitening of the teeth, correction of teeth shape and size to suit ones personality and gum lightening (to lighten the dark or black or brown gums) procedures.



Based on ones requirement the cosmetic dental procedure can be carried out to have a smile correction and achieve a perfect smile.



SG: Describe the effects of neglecting oral health and the consequences?



AA: According to Oral Health Worldwide – A report by FDI World Dental Federation, as part of the recent international collaborative Global Burden of Disease Study (1990-2010), untreated tooth decay was identified as the most common condition among 291 diseases studied.



Most of the disease remains untreated. Dental decay causes pain, results in missed days in school, work and usually requires costly treatment, which is often not affordable or available.



The good news: the most common chronic disease of humankind is largely preventable through simple and cost-effective measures.



Fact sheet



• Oral cancer is the world’s 8th most common cancer and the 3rd most common cancer in southeast asia



• 50% of gum diseases are caused by tobacco use



• 30% of people worldwide aged 65–74 years have lost all their natural teeth



• Living without teeth severely affects quality of life and can lead to unhealthy diets, malnutrition and social isolation.



• Millions of work and school days lost in 1996 -oral diseases resulted in 2.4 million days of work and 1.6 million days of school lost in the united states alone.



• The burden of oral diseases is higher among poor and disadvantaged population groups



• Oral diseases share risk factors with other noncommunicable diseases



• Brushing teeth twice daily using fluoride toothpaste helps to prevent tooth decay and gum disease