Hyderabad: The failure of people and dentists to give maximum attention to oral health has been pointed out by the Dental Council of India in the wake of a survey which has pointed out that 87 per cent of people have oral hygiene problems in the country.
The rising number of cases of bleeding gums and decaying teeth has made the DCI look at the larger picture and work towards preventive methods to address this increasing problem. Apart from this, bad oral hygiene is also one of the major reasons for heart diseases, infections and other cardiovascular problems which are found in patients despite controlled cholesterol levels.
Dr K. Satyendra Kumar, dentist with Yashoda Hospitals said, “The last decade has seen a tremendous rise in gum diseases. We are getting patients who have neglected their oral health and have to go for implants at ages below 50 years.”
Infections in the teeth and gums are not restricted only to the mouth region and they spread to the liver, heart and kidneys when neglected. Dr Kumar added, “There have been cases where problems in other organs have occurred due to severe infection in teeth. In these cases, the infection has to be controlled from the teeth and only after that other medications help to stabilise the affected organs.”
Dentists state that the Indian Dental Association has marked every October to November as the month for oral hygiene where awareness camps are carried out. At the same time, DCI has also asked dental colleges to set up public dentistry departments where people can be counseled on maintaining good oral health.
Post-graduate dentist students can disseminate information in camps and make people aware of the need to maintain good oral health. Senior dentist Dr Jawla Caitanya said, “Often people complain in offices of how bad a colleague’s mouth smells, but none are willing to guide him/her to a dentist for advice. There are cases where a person is brushing twice a day but still has bad breath. This means the problem is in the gums and requires to be evaluated.”
At the same time, maintaining a proper diet of vegetables, whole grains, fruits and nuts will go a long way in maintaining good teeth health.
Dental implant breaks record
When Mr Sambashiva Rao, an 84.5-year-old man from the city, received a set of dental implants, it broke the maximum recorded age of 82.5 years in the West. Dentist Dr Ajay Krishna used modern technology, wherein the impressions of the gums were taken and the teeth implant was created.
Mr Rao required only three visits to the clinic for the implant. He was missing teeth both in his lower and upper jaws and X-rays were taken to determine the size of the gums. A complete oral health examination was also carried out to rule out any chances of infections.
Dr Krishna said, “The flapless technique and moulds are made after the impressions are taken on the first visit. The second visit is to check if it fits the person properly. On the third day, the patient is called and it is fixed.”
Mr Rao said, “I was a little scared earlier as pain was one issue that I kept on raising during the counseling session. But after the implant was fixed there was not much pain. They gave me medicines and I am now on soft foods and can later shift to chewable food.”
Dr Krishna added, “This is a personalised procedure and every person requires a uniquely tailored procedure. Hence the strength of their gums is evaluated before fixing them.”
The fixed teeth system keeps the jawbone strong and healthy and the need for bone grafting is eliminated, which helps in early recovery.
Dental patients smile less
An oral hygiene survey by dentists in 2014-15 revealed these findings:
87% stated that oral hygiene problems were common among Indians.
83% of dentists agreed that in India, people immediately visit their doctor if affected by cold, fever, body ache / stomach ache but not for toothaches.
90% of patients associate oral care procedure with extreme pain.
88% of patients are not aware of the importance of using the right toothbrush to maintain good oral hygiene
88% of people do not use the right toothbrush
76% of patients with poor oral hygiene tend to smile less
72% of patients tend to become less productive at work owing to oral problems caused due to negligence of oral hygiene
72% of people come for an oral hygiene check after embarrassing gossip by colleagues
77% patients look to cure oral hygiene issues only after constant complaints from friends / relatives / colleagues
84% of female patients are more conscious about poor oral hygiene / oral problems compared to men
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