The Real of Cost of Poor Oral Health

Government austerity measures have recently been scrutinised by a number of publications during what the Telegraph has termed, “The Great Recession.” The conclusion is simple, as one paper pronounced, “austerity is seriously bad for health.” [1] With this in mind, the public attitude to oral health may be somewhat negatively impacted if austerity is the buzzword of today. Where the general consensus is cutbacks, the nation could easily put oral health on the back burner. Appointments may be considered a luxury rather than necessity and much needed treatments could easily go on hold.   

Encouraging patients to be proactive when it comes to basic oral healthcare is difficult at the best of times. Use floss, clean your teeth twice a day and eat a healthy diet is plain advice offered by dental professionals, but it can often fall on deaf ears. Exploring this issue, the British Dental Health Foundation found that in 2011 over a quarter of the population admitted to not brushing their teeth even once in 24 hours. [2] With failing numbers of patients deeming oral healthcare to be important, the fact remains that oral health is connected to general health with a clinical connection that cites the presence of advanced gum disease to an increasingly wide range of conditions. Heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and dementia, have all been linked to the presence of serious gum disease.

The association between oral and systemic health is clear, yet the British Dental Health Foundation also recently found that the nation appears oblivious to these links. 90% of people were unaware that poor oral health could potentially be linked to dementia and only 40% knew that heart problems could be connected to bad oral health. Severe gum disease is an indicator of risk to overall general health, and dentists may recognise the early indications of a general disease during checkups.

Referral to a physician could prevent a condition from worsening if dentists can spot the early signs. At the least, visits to the dentist can include a thorough cleaning of the teeth and gums by a dentist or dental hygienist. This removes plaque and this procedure, alongside advice for persistent oral hygiene can reduce and reverse the effects of gingivitis and inflammation that can lead to other chronic health complaints such as periodontitis.

It seems important now, more than ever to align oral healthcare with general healthcare to reiterate that the mouth is vital to overall health and wellbeing. Public health promotion and disease prevention should be on the cards and although practitioners cannot reach all those with poor oral health, there is certainly hope if dental professionals are able to reach their own patients with positive messages and advice for effective and preventative oral healthcare.

Alleviating barriers to preventative oral health could be a start by way of patient education that can be achieved by those with less disposable income. Oral health is much more than clean teeth. It involves the gums, the bones and the tongue to say just a few, and caring for all of these aspects needs due education and attention. Often patients are unaware of the range of dental and oral hygiene products available to them. Some may not know the importance of flossing and its prevention of plaque, instead deeming the procedure to be a luxury rather than necessity. Also patient surveys have reported difficulties using floss with many older patients finding their poor dexterity to limit their use of manual floss.

Recommending easy-to-use products such as interdental brushes or oral irrigators as an alternative to floss, or an electric toothbrush for those who cannot clean their teeth thoroughly can be simple ways to make optimum oral healthcare achievable. The key may be finding an oral healthcare regime to suit the patient while reiterating the importance of brushing twice a day with a good fluoride toothpaste. Using adjuncts and taking care of diet is simple advice that is inexpensive for patients, both in the short and long term.

One area of focus for education could be oral healthcare in children where parents can be advised during appointments on effective ways to care for their children’s teeth – right from the first tooth. A regular teeth-cleaning routine can keep children’s teeth decay-free and should be started when the first milk tooth comes through at around six months. Recommending fluoride toothpaste to parents for their children (1,000 parts per million fluoride for those under the age of three) can be most effective at preventing decay if used twice a day. Regular dental check-ups for children should also be encouraged to prevent tooth decay and promote life-long oral healthcare. 

The emphasis should be on the fact that dental disease is largely preventable.

Recommend simple and easy to use oral health and hygiene products by Curaprox, oral healthcare specialists to patients.

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