STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Dr Gautam Sharma who is a dental specialist (Periodontist) with the University of Jammu and also former president of Indian Dental Association (IDA) Jammu has said that Oral Health day is observed throughout the World on March 20 every year. The Theme of this year’s world oral health day is be Proud of your Mouth for the happiness and well-being.
In a press statement issued here on Saturday, Dr Sharma said that in India, oral and dental health is the most ignored aspect of the health and patients only reports when they have severe toothache and swelling of the face. An unhealthy mouth not only impacts general health but it can have a severe impact on people’s emotional, social, mental, and overall physical well-being.
Dr Sharma stressed that the pathogenic and virulent bacteria which cause dental infections can transport and spread via blood to cause infections in the vital organs of the body making dental infections dangerous for other parts of the body. “The harmful bacteria or even their products can travel through blood stream to different organs causing direct damage or through the process of inflammation. The commonest reason for occurrence of gum disease is infection due to bacteria which, if left untreated, may progress to periodontitis causing destruction of the supporting structures of a tooth and intern implicated as a risk factor in heart problems, complications during pregnancy, deregulated control of diabetes, COVID-19 complications, lung and kidney problems,” he added
He said that bleeding during tooth-brushing or after biting on hard surfaces like an apple, recession of gingival, swollen gums and loosening or mobility of teeth may be the features of periodontitis. “The margins of gum are red, puffy and swollen due to the adherence of a film known as plaque on the tooth surface. The film contains a lot of bacteria in its structure and if remain uncleaned changes into a hard structure called calculus which is visible as yellowish-white deposits on the tooth. In case, these symptoms are present then the patient must immediately report to a specialist doctor known as Periodontist who is an expert in treating diseases of gums and supporting tissues of teeth.
r Gautam Sharma further said that it is easy to maintain good oral hygiene by brushing twice daily with a soft bristle toothbrush and it’s mandatory to brush after the dinner. Use of dental floss can avoid inter-dental caries by removing the food particles present between the two teeth. For children, start tooth-brushing as soon as first milk tooth erupts in the oral cavity. A child would start tooth-brushing by self if he/she sees the parent doing brushing in the morning and night, so the parents have to become a role model, he added.