Celebrating World Oral Health Day
A happy mouth is…a happy mind.
That’s the message this World Oral Health Day, on 20 March, as we’re all reminded that the impact of good oral health stretches far beyond our mouths.
And it’s not just our mental health that is linked. Research has shown that people with gum disease or tooth loss also experience higher rates of heart disease.
Nilesh Patel is a dentist and Chair of the Thames Valley Local Dental Network. He said: “Our mouths and our moods are directly connected. After all, what easier way is there to tell if someone is happy than whether they’re smiling or not?
“The relationship works the other way too. If we have a problem with our teeth or our gums it can affect everything from our diet to our self-confidence or our concentration, and that has knock-on effects on many other aspects of our lives.
“Our oral health connects to our overall health on so many levels, so its importance really can’t be overstated, and this World Oral Health Day I would like to encourage everyone to think about how they care for their mouths – and if they are parents of young children, to support their youngsters in practising good oral hygiene, so we can all have ‘happy mouths’.”
The World Health Organisation states that: “Oral health...is integral to general health and supports individuals in participating in society and achieving their potential,” and also warns that oral diseases disproportionately affect the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, meaning that people of lower socio-economic background are more likely to be affected.
Most oral diseases share risk factors with health conditions that affect the rest of the body, such as mental health conditions, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and respiratory conditions. These risk factors include smoking, excessive drinking of alcohol and high-sugar diets.
The good news is that because of these connections, any measures taken to improve your oral health will have a positive impact on your overall health, such as reducing the amount of sugar in your diet, stopping smoking, cutting your alcohol intake, and so on.
Equally important is having a strict daily regime of brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, of flossing regularly and, if you’re a parent, supervising your children’s teeth cleaning to make sure they’ve adopted the right habits to protect their teeth and gums for the long term.
The Oral Health Foundation has lots of information and advice that can help: https://www.dentalhealth.org/Pages/Category/all-oral-health-information