You could be forgiven for thinking that the term ‘oral health’ applied exclusively to your teeth, but you may be surprised to know that there is actually a very close relationship between our oral health and our health in general. While it is vital to look after your oral health in order to achieve that attractive white smile, it is also key in terms of the health of your entire body, as it can send warning signals in relation to your overall health.
Oral disease is one of the most common in the world and it remains a hugely important public health issue for many developed countries where expenditure on treatment is frequently greater than for other diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and dementia. Despite the substantial progress that has been made in preventive dentistry, the vast majority of the global population will have experienced both dental decay and gum disease prior to their 25th birthday.
Some of the global statistics on oral health make for a frightening read. Did you know that as many as nine out of every ten children could have cavities, a figure which rises to nearly 100 per cent of the adult population? It may also scare you to realize that one-fifth of adults between the ages of 35 and 44 suffer from severe gum disease. In fact, oral cancer is the eighth most common form of cancer worldwide, and it is more abundant among poorer and more disadvantaged parts of the global population. Half of all gum disease can be traced back to the use of tobacco, with oral disease responsible for the loss of millions of working hours and school days across the world. After reading some of these worrying statistics, can you really afford to take your oral health for granted?
This infographic points out some of the diseases and conditions linked to poor oral health, such as dental cavities, gum disease, tooth decay and facial trauma. It also identifies causes of poor oral health, including an unhealthy diet, heavy tobacco use and a harmful level of alcohol consumption, all of which have been proven to have a highly detrimental, possibly even fatal, effect on our overall health.
The infographic analyses how systemic disease can have an impact on our oral health. For example, HIV/AIDS can frequently manifest in our mouths, leukaemia can lead to mouth ulcers and measles can often be detected by characteristic spots on our inner cheeks. Also, tooth erosions are often caused by bulimia, while there is an association between drug abuse and severe cavities and tooth loss. Plus, syphilis during pregnancy could lead to characteristic tooth and palate malformation in the child. These are just some of the ways in which systemic disease and oral health are linked.
It also takes a look at how having poor oral health will impact on our general health. For example, gum disease is a possible starting point for Noma and it can also complicate diabetes. In addition, there are links between gum disease and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and low-birthweight babies. There is a connection between dental infections and an increase in the risk of pneumonia, and also the mouth could potentially act as a tank for bacteria associated with stomach ulcers.
In this infographic, you will find a number of suggestions as to how you can lessen the burden of oral disease. These suggestions include decreasing your sugar intake, obtaining a balanced nutritional intake, eating more fruit and vegetables, cutting down on tobacco and alcohol use, and wearing protective equipment for the face when playing sport. It also helps to maintain a low level of fluoride in the cavity, which can be achieved by consuming fluoridated drinking water, salt, milk and toothpaste.
This infographic by Dervla Leavy Dental Care (http://www.dervlaleavydentalcare.com/) intends to illustrate just how having poor oral health can have a severe impact on our health in general, and to give advice as to what you can do in order to make sure your oral health is at a satisfactory level. We sincerely hope that the information contained in this infographic will help people to realize just how much of an impact poor oral health can have on our overall health, and that it will prompt people to take corrective action so as to avoid serious oral health problems.
This graphic is guaranteed to be of huge relevance to all health care professionals, particularly anyone working in the dental industry. In fact, because oral health problems affect almost every person in the world, this is something that the general public should find highly informative, relevant, educational and important.