(Transcript):
A new study from the Australian Dental Association shows a concerning trend of misunderstanding about oral health care especially caring for Australian gum (gingiva) is not as important as caring for their teeth. This may lead to some of health issues like gum disease, tooth decay and other health conditions. So during the Dental Health Week ( Frist week of August 2024) Dr Mikaela Chinotti who is the ADA's Oral Health Promoter says there are ways we can do keep us healthy.
‘’The Australian Dental Association has released some new finding from our consumer survey research about gum health. We found that just over 50 per cent of Australians aren’t putting enough important on the health of their gums and more so favouring thinking about their teeth. So, a lot more are thinking that their teeth are even more important than their gums. And only about 20 per cent of people think that gum and teeth are equally important.’’
But is it enough just brushing our teeth or what else do we need to do to improve our overall oral health?
‘’And that is a consistent statistic that we have that 3 quarter of Australian rarely or never floss. I can’t give you the exact reason for that, but it is a consistent statistic and it’s something we need to change because it is important daily activity that we need to do to help care for our teeth and our gum particularly our gum. Once you learn those steps to do, it is something that can be easily into your routine. And I think it is sometimes it is about creating that routine that will get you to do it in a continued and routine base. And flossing is part of that and so one of the recommendations for that is that we should, all people should clean between their teeth once a day to achieve optimal oral health.’’
Close up mouth of teenage boy holding electric toothbrush in hand, smiling and brushing white teeth with modern equipment. Source: Moment RF / Tatsiana Volkava/Getty Images
‘’A lot of people understand about the important of brushing their teeth, but I think in some cases that message they use to brush could definitely be improved because it is about the effectiveness, whether you use normal manual toothbrush or electric toothbrush, but in the end, it is how well you are reaching those surfaces and you are cleaning them. So over half of Australians brush their teeth twice a day and then over a quarter actually brush their teeth three or more times a day, so people are committed, and it does seem like people are committed to brushing them. It is just making sure that they have got the good techniques and that is something that dentists can help you with if you want to check in the next time you do.’’
However why some people don’t brush their teeth?
‘’There can be a few factors when it comes to it, it comes down to a bit of education of what has been installed in you and as well as education of knowing how to effectively do it. It’s your access to resources, access to toothbrush, access to toothpaste as well as somewhere to clean your teeth every day. So, there are a few things to playing to people’s ability to clean their teeth.’’
Dr Chinotti shares a few tips to help us keeping our gum healthy.
‘’Keeping your gum health with a few key steps, good oral hygiene, that is brushing our teeth twice a day that is in the morning and at night, cleaning in between your teeth every day, and also do if you have the ability to do so to go for a dental check-up. But there are a couple of others that are specific to your gum health, so if you do smoke, it can increase the risk of developing gum disease, so ideally trying to quit or stop smoking, it’s advisable. And then there are some medical conditions that can actually link to increase risk of gum disease developing such as diabetes. So people with diabetes need to be a little more aware of their gum health as well. So a visit to a dentist if you can. It is a really really good idea to get those gum check over.’’
According to the Dental Health Association media release, Dr Chinotti also added that according to the World Dental Federations’ scientific studies ‘’It shows neglected oral health can either precipitate or worsen another health condition with robust evidence linking periodontal disease and cardiovascular conditions, Type 2 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel condition.’’
Human teeth with periodontitis.There's a heavy calculus deposite, gum swelling, chronic inflammation,gingival recession,teeth missing and stain. Selective focus.You can find more dental related images like this one here : Credit: danielzgombic/Getty Images
‘’So, to access dental care in Australia there are two main ways. So privately at private dental practise and through that you pay out of pocket, and you may have private health insurance that you can use toward that. The other way is through the public dental system, but in Australia not everyone is eligible for public or government dental health system. About 1 in 3 Australians is eligible and does depends on what state you live in. It may be that there is no out of pocket cost for you for your appointment and in some states there is maybe there is some small cost associate with your appointment. So unfortunately, though it has some waiting list to access that care, so it is really important that people look in if they are eligible and put their name down.’’
So her key messages for Dental Health Week would be ‘’brushing teeth twice a day with a small amount of fluoridated toothpaste, flossing daily, eating a diet with low in sugar and seeing your dentist regularly for check-ups.’’
Dental health resource:
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