Essay Example on Importance of Oral Hygiene to Human Society

The teeth usually form an important part of the human body that helps us to chew food and to articulate different words throughout our daily interactions. Oral hygiene is considered to be the practice of keeping the mouth, teeth, and gums clean and healthy to prevent dental diseases. The importance of having good oral hygiene cannot be over-emphasized since having healthy teeth and mouth usually improves our oral health and overall well-being. For instance, gum and tooth decay can cause severe health challenges that may affect our entire well-being. Therefore although Dental hygiene and oral health are often taken for granted, they usually form an essential part of our everyday life. Oral hygiene is crucial since it helps to prevent people from getting any oral diseases that can cause severe long-term dental health problems such as dental carries, periodontal diseases, tooth loss, oral cancer, and oral manifestation. Oral diseases are considered to be major public health affecting most people within society. A recent survey on oral diseases indicated that more than three-quarters of the world population experiences dental caries or bad breath at least once in life (American Dental Association, 67). According to the research, Women are generally doing better than men when it came to maintaining good oral health. Dental health records also indicate that women usually have the least cases of oral diseases due to their increased effort to maintain good oral hygiene. In order to reduce the numerous oral health diseases affecting the population, we should implement various techniques or strategies that improve our oral health. Some of these techniques include brushing daily after meals, flossing daily, using mouthwash, eating a healthy diet, staying away from snacks in between meals, and avoiding sugary foods. This paper intends to discuss the importance of oral hygiene to human society and how people can improve their oral health.

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Importance of Oral Hygiene

Prevents Tooth Decay and Other Related Complications.

Failure to maintain proper oral hygiene could cause tooth decay, and other related complications such as gingivitis, and cavities (Kimbrough and Henderson 18). On the other hand, Extensive tooth decay is also likely to lead to loss of the tooth. Reports by the center for disease control indicates that approximately 19% of children and 60% of adults have cases dental cavities or other related complication in the United States (Newton et al., 78). Some of the key factors that have put this population at risk of dental cavities and other related complications include gum tissue recession, thus exposing the root, poor oral hygiene, using orthodontic appliances, and extensive use of tobacco products. Most cases of tooth decay and other related complications start to develop at a very young age and continue to progress with time. Most of these cases usually result to serious complications such as cavities and gingivitis that may lead to the loss of teeth.

A study by the national institute of Dental and craniofacial research found out that most people with cases of dental cavities and decay had picked them up during their childhood (Setia et al., 17). The study identified that approximately 43% of this population had lost their teeth after getting extensive cases of tooth decay, gingivitis, and cavities (Gurenlian & JoAnn 12). In most cases, the most effective means of avoiding cases of dental caries is controlling the plaque that forms around the teeth through flossing and brushing once every day. Removing the building-up plaque also helps to remove the bacteria that usually pile up around the teeth, causing increased cases of tooth decay. Elimination of the plaque also helps to maintain healthy gingival tissue that is not exposed to any bacteria or infections

Prevents Periodontal or Gum Diseases

Periodontal disease is the most common type of oral disease affecting the population in the United States (Newton et al., 28). In most cases gum diseases usually occur from severe to mild forms; for instance, gingivitis is considered to be the mildest type of periodontal disease while periodontitis, is the most severe form of the disease that mainly occurs when the gingivitis cases are not treated. Periodontitis is perceived to be the main cause of tooth loss, particularly among the old adults aged 45 years and also the main trigger of some of the chronic diseases such as diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory diseases (Wagner et al., 97). The main signs of periodontal disease include pain in the gum region, swollen gums, persistent halitosis, and increased episodes of oral pain. The factors that increase the risk of getting dental health condition include hormonal changes during pregnancy or puberty and other medical conditions such as diabetes. The bacterium causing periodontal disease is likely to cause other serious health complications if it finds its way into the blood. When this happens, it triggers the production of a protein that leads to a thickening and clotting of the blood (Darby and Walsh 35). Blood clots reduce the nutrients and oxygen available for use by the heart, thus increasing the risk of developing a heart attack. In addition, gum disease can also cause inflammation of the blood vessel, which inhibits the free supply of blood to the brain (Gurenlian 15).

A survey on gum diseases found out that women between 54 and 86 years who had gum disease at one point or the other had a 14 % higher risk of developing certain types of cancer (Kimbrough et al., 90). The research further indicated that one out of three of the women did develop breast cancer. According to research, people with healthy gums are about 70% less likely to have Alzheimer's disease compared to other individuals with gum disease spanning for an extended period of time (Harrita et al., 11). In addition, the cost of treating and caring for tooth decay or any gum-related problem is usually more expensive than the cost of maintaining good oral hygiene. It is worthy mentioning that halitosis could also occur when one does not keep the teeth clean. It could put one in uncomfortable and embarrassing situations, which can be avoided by keeping the mouth clean and preventing tooth decay or any gum disease.

Recent surveys have also found out that there is a one out of four probability that pregnant women with gum disease would deliver their baby before the 35th week (Voinescu et al., 67). The relationship between gum health and the premature birth of the baby is due to the fact that gum disease increases the chemical levels in the body, which induces labor. The severe health complications that are caused by gum disease usually illustrate how serious oral disease is to the entire population. The health complications are likely to be a huge burden to the entire population since they cause the occurrence of unexpected financial expenses on medical health and patient support. To reduce the probability of these outcomes, people should ensure that they maintain good oral hygiene or instance by visiting the dentist regularly.

Prevents Overall Health Issues

Neglected oral hygiene has been identified to be a cause of serious conditions later in life, particularly during adulthood. Failure to maintain oral hygiene during childhood increases the risk of developing various dental oral diseases that usually increase one's risk of contracting other serious health conditions such as stroke and cardiovascular diseases. Most of these health complications mainly affect low-income families that do not put much concern on maintaining oral hygiene through brushing or visiting the dentist regularly. A study by New York University (NYU) researchers discovered a connection between gum tenderness and the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease (Wiegand et al., 25). This study provided a car proof that there is a huge relationship between some of the severe diseases developed by people and their overall oral hygiene (Wiegand et al., 28). Another study also found out that the patients aged 40 years and above who visited the dentists due to various dental diseases had other key health complications that had been triggered by the effects of the oral disease. For instance, the study found out that atherosclerosis was more common among patients with periodontal diseases. The dentists believe that most of this condition could have been avoided if the patient had tried to maintain good oral hygiene at a young age. According to an article by Mayo Clinic's website on oral health, it's pretty clear that some diseases of the mouth can easily spread to other parts of the body( Mayo Clinic Staff, 58). This clear link is simply explained by the fact that the influx of bacteria in the mouth easily flows over into the digestive and respiratory tracts causing a wide array of these diseases such as; pneumonia, cardiovascular diseases as well pregnancy, and birth complications. Most of these health complications are usually expensive to treat, thus creating a huge financial burden on the patient's family and friends.

It is also clear that some of dental treatments, such as Orthodontic treatment, may also increase one's risk of developing other health complications if proper measures and precautions are not taken into concern. For instance, Orthodontic treatment involves the use of certain devices to adjust or move the teeth, and the underlying bones may increase the formation of plaque if proper hygiene practices are not adhered to. The plaque deposition tends to enhance bacteria growth, thus causing some of the serious dental health complications such as periodontitis, which results to other serious health complications in the body. Statistics show that when oral hygiene is not adhered to, the immune system is usually compromised, and the body is prawn to numerous health complications (Kelly et al., 34). To reduce the probability of these infections after treatment, dentists should always educate the patient on how to keep the dental braces clean in order to reduce the risk of plaque formation.

It Helps Keeps the Teeth Healthy

There seems to be a big gap, particularly among low-income families, when it comes to information and awareness on how important oral hygiene is to human beings. Teeth are essential to human beings since they enable them to talk, smile, and eat; therefore, people should put the right effort to ensure that the teeth are free from ant diseases and contaminations that may alter their crucial functions. Healthy teeth also help to improve once general appearance towards others since the teeth gives other people a clear picture of one's overall hygiene. For instance, people with dirty and discolored teeth find it hard to relate or interact with people and are also prawn to bullying since it gives the perception that they do not observe proper body hygiene measures. In order to keep the teeth healthy, people should pay attention on the importance of brushing teeth, the techniques of brushing, and the recommended toothbrushes, as well as how to floss. Such information enables people to understand how well they can keep their teeth clean and free from any contaminations that may affect their health.

The Simplified Oral Hygiene Index indicated that there's a very big connection between oral health and other compelling factors such as the demographics, race, and socioeconomic status of an individual (Margaret et al., 12). Families that hail from deprived economic status do not put much concern on their oral health compared to individuals from affluent backgrounds.