5 Ways Poor Dental Care Makes You Sick
Even if you brush your teeth daily, you may still have dangerous bacteria growing inside your mouth. Not only could that lead to periodontitis (an advanced form of gum disease that comes with symptoms such as bleeding when you brush and gum pain), but studies also find a link between poor oral hygiene and major health issues. Here are some ways that missing the mark on oral care could harm your heath.
1. It may hurt your heart.
People with gum disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease compared to those don't have periodontitis. Researchers aren't exactly sure of why this might be, but one theory is that harmful bacteria from your mouth enters your blood stream and attaches to fatty plaques in your heart's blood vessels, leading to inflammation and upping your risk of clots that can trigger heart attacks.
2. Your memory may suffer.
Some research suggests there may be a tie between poor oral health and an increased risk of dementia. One study that followed 118 nuns between the ages of 75 and 98 found that those with the fewest teeth were most likely to suffer dementia. Experts think oral bacteria may spread to the brain through cranial nerves that connect to the jaw or through the bloodstream, and may contribute to the type of plaque that's been linked to Alzheimer's.
3. It might worsen your body's control of blood sugar.
People with diabetes are more likely to have periodontal disease than those without diabetes. While this may be because diabetics are more susceptible to infections, there's also been research that finds gum disease could make it harder to control your blood sugar, and that treating it helps improve diabetes symptoms.
4. It may affect your breathing.
Gum disease may increase your risk of getting respiratory infections, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia, according to the Journal of Periodontology. The infections might be caused when bacteria from the mouth are inhaled into your lungs, possibly causing your airways to become inflamed.
5. It could make it harder for you to have a baby.
Women of childbearing age with gum disease took an average of just over seven months to become pregnant – two months longer than the average of five months that it took women
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Bad Breath Can Be Viewed As A Health Risk ?
Although bad breath is generally not viewed as a health risk, if left unchecked it can be the kiss of death for individuals whose jobs and personal relationships put them in close proximity to others. Current research and new technologies can help dental hygienists understand how diet, medication and certain systemic conditions may cause oral malodor—as well as assist them in detecting, measuring and helping treat oral malodor in their patients.
Approximately 90% of the causes of bad breath develop in the oral cavity, with most cases originating from decaying particles of food and certain chemical components in saliva.1 The decay process breaks down proteins and other organic materials into simpler matter, leaving behind sulfuric acids and fatty acids that create lingering odors. Poor oral hygiene can allow bacterial plaque to accumulate on the teeth and tongue. In addition, subgingival and proximal areas—as well as restorations that have fallen into disrepair—have been pinpointed as sources of bad breath when oral hygiene is not maintained. While age is not a risk factor for oral malodor, gender does play a role, as the condition is three times more common among men than women.
A DEEPER LOOK
Oral malodor is identified as either nonpathogenic or pathogenic. The former typically relates to normal body functions, such as "morning breath" that results from lack of salivary flow during sleep. Smoking and food debris are also nonpathogenic triggers. Pathogenic causes may include periodontal diseases, xerostomia or wearing dentures overnight. Radiation therapy is another pathogenic cause of mucositis-related malodor, as are Sjögren's syndrome and cleft lip/palate.
Some causes of bad breath are nonoral in nature. For example, many common drugs—from antidepressants to pain relievers—can cause xerostomia, which increases the risk of oral malodor.3 Diuretic agents, muscle relaxants, antihypertensive medications, antihistamines, anticholinergic agents and analgesics can also lead to xerostomia.
THE NOSE KNOWS
Clinicians may assess oral malodor simply by smelling the air exhaled from the patient's nose and mouth. Generally, malodor exiting the mouth is produced by oral or pharyngeal causes. Several technologies have been developed to detect and measure oral malodor. One is a handheld device—referred to as the "electronic nose"—that samples a patient's breath via a chemical sensor that tests for volatile sulfur compounds (VSC). A second technology, known as gas chromatography (GC), uses a needleless syringe to capture an air sample from deep inside the mouth. The sample is injected into the portable GC device and analyzed for VSC that typically include hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide. Some clinicians may use a portable sulfide meter that analyzes patients' breath after they have exhaled through a tube for 30 seconds. This device, however, may yield readings that underestimate the strength of some types of oral malodor.4
Diagnosing oral malodor is not always a simple matter. Transient oral malodor can be treated with little more than good advice and cosmetic measures, while pathologic oral malodor requires clinical treatment and individualized oral hygiene strategies.
TIPS FOR TREATING ORAL MALODOR
Once systemic conditions are ruled out as the cause, clinicians should review the patient's oral health history and self-care practices. One strategy to overcome oral malodor is to minimize the proteinaceous debris present in the oral cavity, thereby eliminating the source of bad breath.5 Tongue scraping is a highly effective tactic because bacteria that produce offensive breath are most likely to collect on the lingual dorsum, and this is also where most food debris accumulates. Tongue cleaning works by reducing the substrata for putrefaction.6 Patients are typically unfamiliar with this form of self-care, however, and dental hygienists can help by educating patients about proper technique. Clinicians can also recommend the use of fluoride toothpaste and antimicrobial mouthrinses to kill oral bacteria.
In terms of professional care, toothbrushing, followed by tongue cleaning with a high-speed vacuum ejector, and irrigation with a mouthrinse, is an effective strategy for reducing odor-causing bacteria entrenched in the tongue.7 In cases where oral malodor is triggered by periodontitis, scaling and root planing may help ease gingival inflammation, while also reducing plaque and the volume of odor-causing microbes in the oral cavity.
GET CLOSE
The incidence of oral malodor is widespread. Setting aside possible systemic causes, the most effective treatment strategies focus on controlling and reducing the microflora that underlie the condition. Fortunately, some treatments directed at controlling the microbiota associated with dental caries may also prove helpful in eradicating the bacteria that cause bad breath.
With the guidance of a well-informed dental hygienist, most patients can easily address oral malodor via methods that are affordable, effective and preserve their ability to confidently interact with others.
Approximately 90% of the causes of bad breath develop in the oral cavity, with most cases originating from decaying particles of food and certain chemical components in saliva.1 The decay process breaks down proteins and other organic materials into simpler matter, leaving behind sulfuric acids and fatty acids that create lingering odors. Poor oral hygiene can allow bacterial plaque to accumulate on the teeth and tongue. In addition, subgingival and proximal areas—as well as restorations that have fallen into disrepair—have been pinpointed as sources of bad breath when oral hygiene is not maintained. While age is not a risk factor for oral malodor, gender does play a role, as the condition is three times more common among men than women.
A DEEPER LOOK
Oral malodor is identified as either nonpathogenic or pathogenic. The former typically relates to normal body functions, such as "morning breath" that results from lack of salivary flow during sleep. Smoking and food debris are also nonpathogenic triggers. Pathogenic causes may include periodontal diseases, xerostomia or wearing dentures overnight. Radiation therapy is another pathogenic cause of mucositis-related malodor, as are Sjögren's syndrome and cleft lip/palate.
Some causes of bad breath are nonoral in nature. For example, many common drugs—from antidepressants to pain relievers—can cause xerostomia, which increases the risk of oral malodor.3 Diuretic agents, muscle relaxants, antihypertensive medications, antihistamines, anticholinergic agents and analgesics can also lead to xerostomia.
THE NOSE KNOWS
Clinicians may assess oral malodor simply by smelling the air exhaled from the patient's nose and mouth. Generally, malodor exiting the mouth is produced by oral or pharyngeal causes. Several technologies have been developed to detect and measure oral malodor. One is a handheld device—referred to as the "electronic nose"—that samples a patient's breath via a chemical sensor that tests for volatile sulfur compounds (VSC). A second technology, known as gas chromatography (GC), uses a needleless syringe to capture an air sample from deep inside the mouth. The sample is injected into the portable GC device and analyzed for VSC that typically include hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide. Some clinicians may use a portable sulfide meter that analyzes patients' breath after they have exhaled through a tube for 30 seconds. This device, however, may yield readings that underestimate the strength of some types of oral malodor.4
Diagnosing oral malodor is not always a simple matter. Transient oral malodor can be treated with little more than good advice and cosmetic measures, while pathologic oral malodor requires clinical treatment and individualized oral hygiene strategies.
TIPS FOR TREATING ORAL MALODOR
Once systemic conditions are ruled out as the cause, clinicians should review the patient's oral health history and self-care practices. One strategy to overcome oral malodor is to minimize the proteinaceous debris present in the oral cavity, thereby eliminating the source of bad breath.5 Tongue scraping is a highly effective tactic because bacteria that produce offensive breath are most likely to collect on the lingual dorsum, and this is also where most food debris accumulates. Tongue cleaning works by reducing the substrata for putrefaction.6 Patients are typically unfamiliar with this form of self-care, however, and dental hygienists can help by educating patients about proper technique. Clinicians can also recommend the use of fluoride toothpaste and antimicrobial mouthrinses to kill oral bacteria.
In terms of professional care, toothbrushing, followed by tongue cleaning with a high-speed vacuum ejector, and irrigation with a mouthrinse, is an effective strategy for reducing odor-causing bacteria entrenched in the tongue.7 In cases where oral malodor is triggered by periodontitis, scaling and root planing may help ease gingival inflammation, while also reducing plaque and the volume of odor-causing microbes in the oral cavity.
GET CLOSE
The incidence of oral malodor is widespread. Setting aside possible systemic causes, the most effective treatment strategies focus on controlling and reducing the microflora that underlie the condition. Fortunately, some treatments directed at controlling the microbiota associated with dental caries may also prove helpful in eradicating the bacteria that cause bad breath.
With the guidance of a well-informed dental hygienist, most patients can easily address oral malodor via methods that are affordable, effective and preserve their ability to confidently interact with others.
Monday, January 16, 2012
How Teeth Can Prevent Heart Attacks
Cleaner Teeth May Lead to Fewer Heart Attacks
Last week in Orlando the American Heart Association held its 84th annual meeting. A huge event, by its close over 14,000 medical professionals attended more than 4,000 scientific sessions concerning the latest findings on the treatment and prevention of heart attacks and stroke.
Amazingly, amid that mass of information, one of the studies that received the most attention linked heart attack prevention to regular dental cleanings.
That’s right, cleaner teeth may lead to a healthier heart. That’s really something to smile about.
Researchers at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, followed 100,000 adults over seven years and found those who had their teeth cleaned by a dental professional—at least once over that period—had a 24% lower risk of heart attack and a 13% lower risk of stroke than those who didn’t have a dental cleaning.
Dr. Emily Chen, lead author of the study, told the Orlando Sentinel that protection against heart disease was even stronger among participants who had their teeth cleaned at least once a year.
Of course, there is the possibility that people who have their teeth cleaned take better care of themselves, in general, but—as I said in a previous post , one secret to living a longer life : Flossing ! - a number of other studies have shown that clean teeth can help reduce inflammation-causing bacterial growth, prevent heart disease and prolong life.
“The results are not surprising since there have been many studies showing association between inflammation and heart disease,” said Dr. Lawrence Phillips, Director of Nuclear Cardiology at NYU Langone Medical Center, in USA Today. “Good dental hygiene is recommended for all patients.”
Nothing is definite—unfortunately in healthcare things rarely are—but the evidence is starting to mount. Who knows, maybe just smiling more is good for your heart?
Last week in Orlando the American Heart Association held its 84th annual meeting. A huge event, by its close over 14,000 medical professionals attended more than 4,000 scientific sessions concerning the latest findings on the treatment and prevention of heart attacks and stroke.
Amazingly, amid that mass of information, one of the studies that received the most attention linked heart attack prevention to regular dental cleanings.
That’s right, cleaner teeth may lead to a healthier heart. That’s really something to smile about.
Researchers at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, followed 100,000 adults over seven years and found those who had their teeth cleaned by a dental professional—at least once over that period—had a 24% lower risk of heart attack and a 13% lower risk of stroke than those who didn’t have a dental cleaning.
Dr. Emily Chen, lead author of the study, told the Orlando Sentinel that protection against heart disease was even stronger among participants who had their teeth cleaned at least once a year.
Of course, there is the possibility that people who have their teeth cleaned take better care of themselves, in general, but—as I said in a previous post , one secret to living a longer life : Flossing ! - a number of other studies have shown that clean teeth can help reduce inflammation-causing bacterial growth, prevent heart disease and prolong life.
“The results are not surprising since there have been many studies showing association between inflammation and heart disease,” said Dr. Lawrence Phillips, Director of Nuclear Cardiology at NYU Langone Medical Center, in USA Today. “Good dental hygiene is recommended for all patients.”
Nothing is definite—unfortunately in healthcare things rarely are—but the evidence is starting to mount. Who knows, maybe just smiling more is good for your heart?
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