Importance of Oral Hygiene for Overall Health

Good oral health is essential for maintaining overall well-being.

Good oral health helps in

  • Clear Communication:
  • Healthy teeth and gums support effective speech.
  • Adequate Nutrition and Taste:
  • Proper chewing and swallowing are crucial for enjoying diverse foods.
  • Pleasant Facial Expressions:
  • A healthy smile helps convey emotions.

Oral Hygiene has connections with Systemic Diseases

Bad Oral Hygiene adversely affects overall health

  • Heart Disease:
  • Poor oral health is linked to increased cardiovascular risk.
  • Mental Health:
  • Poor oral health has associations with Alzheimer's, depression, and memory loss.
  • Diabetes:
  • Diabetes and gum disease have a bidirectional relationship, with diabetes increasing the risk of gum disease, which, in turn, affects blood sugar control.
  • Chronic Pain:
  • Facial pain has widespread effects on the body.
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis:
  • Periodontal disease has strong associations with rheumatoid arthritis.

Do you know that gargling with Betadine can boost your Oral Health?

Antiseptic 

Povidone-iodine (PVP-I) is a widely recognized antiseptic and effectively manages upper airway infections and oral complications.

    Reduces microbes:

    PVP-I efficiently reduces microbial concentrations for at least four hours and is effective against oral bacteria, viruses (common cold, influenza, HIV, SARS-CoV, swine influenza), and fungi

    Improves Gum Health:

    Benefits people with gum infections by making their gums healthier.

    Safe to use:

    Short-term use does not cause any irritation inside the mouth; thus, it is safe and effective.

    Regular Gargling:

    Helps prevent and treat Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs) and reduce symptoms like cough, sore throat, runny nose, etc.

    Before any Dental Procedure:

    Rinsing PVP-I before any dental procedure is recommended as it lowers oral bacterial burden, especially in patients at risk of bacterial endocarditis.


    Source-
    1. NIH[Internet]. Oral hygiene. Cited on: 5oct 2023; available from: https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/oral-hygiene.
    2. WHO[Internet]. Oral Health. Cited on: 5oct 2023; available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/oral-health.
    3. Peck CC. Putting the Mouth into Health: The Importance of Oral Health for General Health. In: Sasaki K, Suzuki O, Takahashi N. (eds) Interface Oral Health Science 2016. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1560-1_7
    4. Kanagalingam J, Feliciano R, Hah JH, Labib H, Le TA, Lin JC. Practical use of povidone-iodine antiseptic in the maintenance of oral health and in the prevention and treatment of common oropharyngeal infections. Int J Clin Pract. 2015 Nov;69(11):1247-56. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.12707. Epub 2015 Aug 6. PMID: 26249761;PMCID: PMC6767541.
    5. Amtha R, Kanagalingam J. Povidone-iodine in dental and oral health: A narrative review. J Int Oral Health 2020;12:407-12

    IJCP Logo

    Medtalks is India's fastest growing Healthcare Learning and Patient Education Platform designed and developed to help doctors and other medical professionals to cater educational and training needs and to discover, discuss and learn the latest and best practices across 100+ medical specialties. Also find India Healthcare Latest Health News & Updates on the India Healthcare at Medtalks