A word from ED Advisor, Dr Mark DiRe

Neglecting Your Dental Care can be Risky Business
“The eyes may be the window to the soul, but the mouth mirrors a person’s health and well-being throughout life and into old age. That is because oral diseases and conditions can affect many other aspects of an individual’s general health status, and have an impact on emotional and psychological well-being through speech, laughter and social expression. Several health conditions can, in turn, have an impact on oral health. Oral health and general health are therefore inseparable, experts agree.”

Obviously an attractive healthy smile is more than skin deep!  We know that neglecting your dental care leads to both financial and health related risk.   The more we learn about the Mouth/Body connection the more we understand that neglecting your oral health can adversely affect your physical health. The leading causes of death in 2004 were still heart disease, cancer and stroke. The medical connection between cardio vascular disease (including heart disease and stroke) and periodontal disease is well accepted. Although the exact causative factor is still unknown, we do understand the need to control the risk factors involved in the onset and advancement of periodontal disease. A just released study by Harvard Medical School investigators states: “We found those with history of periodontal disease had 60 percent increase in risk of getting pancreatic cancer,” said Dr. Charles Fuchs of Dana Farber Institute. Periodontal risk factors can be categorized as Microbial, Systemic including Diabetes, HIV and genetic factors, Behavioral including tobacco use and smoking, and Local Factors including a poor bite and faulty dental restorations, poor home care and lack of professional care.  How we control these risks is important to our future health.

The increased incidence of pneumonias associated with increased plaque levels in patients in institutional settings cannot be overlooked; in fact some insurance company studies find fewer medical care needs in patients who maintain their periodontal health. These studies support the notion that individuals in hospital ICU’s and nursing home settings have poorer oral hygiene than do those in the greater community, and are therefore at considerably higher risk that their dental plaque is infected by respiratory pathogens. This suggests that oral intervention to reduce or control the amount of dental plaque may be a simple, cost-effective method of reducing pneumonias and lung infections in high-risk populations.  The cost to individuals and insurers to quell such infections is considerable to say nothing about the risk to life itself.

Some of the medications that are taken daily to reduce our health risks actually increase our risk of necessary dental care.  The most ominous scenario lately is the use of bisphosphonate medications (like Fosamax) taken orally to help prevent or treat osteoporosis and Paget’s disease of the bone. Or others (like Bonefos) are given intravenously as part of cancer therapy to reduce bone pain and abnormally high calcium levels in the blood, in treating some with breast cancer, prostate cancer and multiple myeloma.  In rare instances these medications have led to development of osteonecrosis of the jaw, a rare but serious condition that involves severe loss or destruction of the jawbone. 

Not so threatening but still serious in its treatment scenario and financial impact is the tendency of many drugs to cause dry mouth.  This condition is not just uncomfortable; it results in high decay rates.  Patients, who have for years been dentally stable, are now faced with rampant decay affecting many teeth, which in turn affects existing bridgework and crowns.  This often leads to extensive treatment needs including, root canals, replacing crowns and removal of teeth.  The financial consequences can be considerable. There are no viable dental health programs available during retirement. Therefore, the financial burden of care rests solely on the patient.  This is a risk many are not prepared to take and the result is unwanted loss of teeth.

Now is a good time to visit the dentist. Ongoing regular dental care is an important and necessary part of staying healthy as we age. The risks of not making that annual or semiannual dental visit can be substantial to our health and financial well being.

Keep your patients educated.

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