By Lisa Knowles, D.D.S., and Jeffrey Wheeler, M.D.
Oral health has an impact well beyond your mouth.
It’s true: Seeing your dentist is about a lot more than teeth and gums. Regular dental check-ups benefit you in more ways than just a nice smile. In fact, oral health has been proven to affect everything from nutrition to socialization and poor oral hygiene can lead to general health issues including diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
That’s why more and more health care organizations promote the broader benefits of oral health.
The world of medicine hasn’t always seen this connection. When U.S. medical schools were first established in the 1700s, dentistry was not recognized as a necessary form of healthcare. As a result, it took almost a full century for the American dental system to get going and decades more before the medical community embraced the links between oral health and general health. The public still tends to miss the connection.
That’s why the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2020 report “Healthy People 2020” sought to raise national awareness about the impact of oral health on well-being. Including oral health as one of the 10 leading indicators of a healthy person. Other indicators included access to clinical preventive services, nutrition, social determinants and reproductive health – the report sought to increase the number of Americans scheduling an annual dental visit.
Of course, we know that oral problems can cause pain and disability. However, few people realize, as the Mayo Clinic points out, oral bacteria and inflammation associated with gum disease may contribute to any number of serious health conditions. Conditions include health issues with pregnancy and birth, respiratory illness, cancer and dementia. Poor oral health also can be an indicator of mental health issues including anxiety, depression and behavioral disorders such as ADHD and ADD.
Certainly, we have made strides in oral health, as is clear by the more than 75% decrease in total tooth loss for Americans aged 65 through 74 over the past five decades. This is an important indicator, as loss of multiple teeth in older adults is often an indicator of poor home care, which increases the likelihood of functional dependence and the onset of disability.
Unfortunately, much of the progress we’ve made has bypassed economically challenged families, which has led to impacts on education, employment and more. For example, children in low-income families with limited access to preventive care miss three times as many school days due to oral health problems and 31% of low-income Hoosiers believe the appearance of their mouth and teeth has impacted their ability to interview for a job.
So, yes, oral health has an impact well beyond your mouth, and it’s time for all Hoosiers to embrace the many ways a healthy smile can reflect overall health and well-being. We believe the solutions start with parents and guardians of young children.
We think it starts with introducing basic dental care for very young children. Visiting a dentist by age one and teaching kids that brushing teeth is part of the daily routine is key. For those of us who are older, regular dental check-ups are critical to spotting health issues before they get out of hand.
When Hoosier families have healthier smiles, they also have healthier bodies … and more reasons to smile.
Dr. Lisa Knowles is director of dental program, and Dr. Jeffrey Wheeler is medical director for MDwise, an Indiana-based nonprofit health care organization and part of McLaren Health Care.
DR-10-2023-11159/HHW-HIPM1023 (10/23)