CRGHD: The effect of Oral Hygiene on general health status

Your mouth is a window of your body. It determines what goes into the body, often serving as a helpful vantage point for detecting the early signs and symptoms of systemic disease. According to the academy of General Dentistry, more than 90 percent of all systemic diseases produce oral signs and symptoms. Oral diseases are the most common cause of chronic diseases and important public health problems due to their prevalence and impact on individuals and society, as well as the cost of treatment, hence the need to maintain good oral health.

Oral health is the health of your mouth which includes your teeth, gums, throat and bones around your mouth. It literally means being free from cavities and plagues (tooth decay), bleeding gums, tooth sensitivity and bad breath.

The determinants of oral diseases are well known; they are the risk factors common to a lot of chronic diseases. They include diet and hygiene, smoking, alcoholism, risky behaviors causing injuries, and stress. Oral health affects people physically and psychologically and influence how they grow, enjoy life as well as their feeling of social well-being.

Improper oral health creates a favorable environment for bacteria to accumulate and thrive in the spaces between your gums and teeth, causing an infection known as gingivitis. If left unchecked or untreated, gingivitis can lead to more complicated gum infections such as periodontitis and trench mouth.
Long-term gum infections can eventually result in loss of teeth and the consequences do not end there. Recent research suggests that there may be an association between oral infection, primary gum infection and your health in general.

Maintaining good oral hygiene is one of the most important things you can do for your teeth, gums and health in general. Healthy teeth and gums do not only boost your confidence level, they also make it possible to eat well, as such, good oral health is important to your overall well-being.

Daily preventive care, including proper brushing and flossing (i.e. brushing twice daily and flossing daily), eating balanced diets, limiting snacks between meals, as well as limiting alcohol and tobacco intake, rinsing with fluoride mouth wash, and having regular visit to the dentist, will help reduce health problems which could be much more painful, worrisome and expensive treating.
A healthy gum may ward off medical disorders. Unhealthy mouth, especially if you have gum disease, may increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes, respiratory disease, and preterm labor.

If you didn’t have enough reason to take good care of your mouth, teeth and gum, now you have. The relationship between your oral health and overall health provides even more reason to. Resolve to practicing good oral hygiene everyday as an investment in your overall health not only for the present, but for the future too.

REFERENCE

Beck, J. (1998). Annals of Periodontology; vol 3; pp127-140

Oral Cancer Foundation

Locker D. (1997). Concept of oral health, disease and quality of life. In: Slade GD, editor. Measuring oral health and quality of life. Chapel Hill; university of north California, Dental Ecology, pp 11-23

Bulletin of World Health Organization, past issues, vol 83, no 9, September 2005, 641-720


Written by: Emanice Johnson