About Oral Health
Oral health is an essential part of overall health, well-being and quality of life. Oral health concerns the health of our mouth, including teeth, gums, soft tissue, muscles and bones.
It is about our ability to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow and convey emotions through our facial expressions with confidence and without pain, discomfort or disease.
The most common oral diseases are tooth decay and gum disease.
Factors that contribute to poor oral health are:
- Lack of oral hygiene,
- Irregular dental check-ups
- Lack of access to dental care
- inadequate fluoride,
- consumption of sugar
- Tobacco and alcohol
Oral diseases cause untold pain and loss of function, impacting all areas of our lives. Yet most oral diseases are preventable. In fact dental caries and gum disease are reversible.
Daily hygiene practices, such as toothbrushing, are an essen
tial factor in preventing these diseases.
Oral health is part of our overall health. There are strong links between the health of the mouth and the health of the rest of the body.Poor oral health is linked to chronic diseases, also known as Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Poor oral health can increase the risk of infections in the lungs and heart and long-term gum disease can make it harder for people with diabetes to manage their blood sugar levels for example
There are common risk factors for oral diseases that are also shared with other NCDs such as tobacco use, the harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets.
Oral Health - an indispensable part of overall health and well being
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