Oral health is an integral component of overall physical and mental wellbeing, impacting everything from speaking comfortably, smiling without fear, smelling properly, tasting deliciously, touching securely without pain and chewing without pain or discomfort.
Changes in the mouth may also serve as early indicators of systemic diseases like diabetes, heart disease or nutritional deficiencies. Furthermore, mental and oral health conditions often co-occur, compounding their impact further on an individual’s wellbeing.
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Keep Your Teeth and Live Longer
Studies show that good oral health is essential to overall wellbeing. Studies indicate a correlation between good oral hygiene and reduced risks for heart disease, diabetes complications and pregnancy complications; and reduced access to treatment. Unfortunately, poor oral health remains a global burden and limited treatment is available – estimated that approximately 3.5 billion people experience untreated dental caries, the most prevalent health condition.
The mouth is an entryway into our bodies, providing daily exposure to bacteria which can lead to infections such as Gingivitis, Periodontitis and Trench Mouth. If the gums become compromised by infection or disease they protect our bloodstream from entering bacteria that could enter via infection into other systems; but if compromised due to disease they become vulnerable and bacteria could enter through them and potentially lead to life-threatening issues like endocarditis (inflammation of inner lining of heart chambers or valves).
Your teeth and gums provide essential functions, including eating, speaking, smiling, kissing and laughing. In order to enjoy these experiences throughout life, maintaining good oral health is key.
The FDI World Dental Federation defines “health” as a continuum that encompasses physical, social, and psychological attributes. Oral health is both an integral component of physical wellbeing as well as a driving force behind psychological wellbeing; unfortunately social determinants of health (SDoH) often interfere with this measure – for instance by making it harder to locate providers near low-income communities.
Avoid Disease
The mouth is the gateway to our bodies, and oral diseases often signal systemic illnesses like nutritional deficiencies or infection. Furthermore, poor dental health increases risk factors for heart disease as well as chronic conditions like diabetes, cancer and respiratory infections as well as pregnancy complications.
A healthy mouth contributes to overall wellbeing by providing you with a solid platform for eating, speaking and smiling. Caring for your teeth and gums by avoiding sugary foods, drinking fluoridated water, using an oral hygiene kit daily and visiting the dentist on an ongoing basis will all significantly lower your risk for oral diseases.
Oral diseases are a significant global public health burden, contributing to pain, disability and premature mortality. Their main causes include poor diet, access issues to affordable dental care and tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption – lifestyle risks which are usually preventable yet many do not take steps in their defense.
While oral diseases may be preventable, their prevalence is on the rise worldwide due to economic and social inequalities such as low educational attainment levels, poverty levels, limited or inaccessible dental care access or belief that dental problems are inevitable (Dahlberg et al. 2014). Therefore, addressing these social determinants of health will not only improve oral health but also decrease noncommunicable disease risks while increasing overall wellbeing.
Prevent Complications from Other Diseases
The oral cavity is an essential part of our bodies, helping us take in nutrients, express emotions and communicate with others. It also serves as an early diagnostic indicator, with many health conditions often manifesting first in the mouth. Luckily, most oral diseases and conditions–including tooth decay, gum disease, tooth loss, oral cancer and congenital disabilities like cleft lip or palate–are preventable through regular dental care and healthy diet habits.
Oral diseases have been linked with cardiovascular disease and preterm delivery among other health concerns, and are also early indicators of systemic infections, inflammation, and nutritional deficiencies. But they’re preventable with simple yet cost-effective actions like twice-daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste and daily flossing – two effective preventative strategies!
But this isn’t true everywhere and for all people; oral disease disproportionately impacts population subgroups with limited economic resources, low educational levels, and limited access to health services – including oral healthcare – that make up our society. Oral disease contributes significantly to high healthcare expenses while contributing to inequities between individuals and communities’ health statuses. We require an updated definition of oral health that emphasizes its centrality to our wellbeing while creating equitable access to quality health services; work has already started on such a definition with input from a wide range of experts and stakeholders.
Psychological Impact
Attracting positive attention through appearance is vital to mental health. A stunning smile and healthy mouth promote positive self-image, boost confidence and wellbeing and enhance relationships with others, while dental problems may cause psychological distress and reduce quality of life – for instance missing or painful teeth can make eating or chewing difficult, which in turn has an adverse impact on nutrition; some medications also cause dry mouth which contributes to oral diseases.
Social and commercial determinants of health (SDoH) refers to all factors which have an effect on individual and community health status, from food, water, housing and education access through to education employment income insurance as well as social support networks and amenities in communities. SDoH includes structures and systems which facilitate or hinder accessing services like dental care services.
Systemic racism is an ongoing source of SDoH in America, directly impacting oral health through structural and sociocultural mechanisms that reduce family incomes, expose individuals to psychosocial stressors more commonly experienced among their racial group, mistrust of healthcare systems and restrict or prohibit access to dental and medical care. A recent study indicated that living in higher quality housing with more social support mitigated its effect on oral health in Black families living below poverty levels.
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