For a healthy body, take care of your mouth

The mouth not only holds the key to good health, but can be an early warning system for diseases you are likely to get, dentists have said.

“Oral health is the gateway for overall good health and teeth are the guardians of this health,” said JR Patel, Visnagar Dental College.

He said few people realised that a poor oral health can be the cause of many diseases and many times the indicator of something far more serious for your overall health.

Dr Girish Parmar, dean, Government Dental College, Civil Hospital, said that a body of research has proved that bacteria in the mouth can eventually end up harming your kidneys, lungs and your heart. 

Dr Parmar was speaking at a press conference held in the city to announce a rally for World Oral Health Day.

Dr Mihir Shah, dean of Ahmedabad Dental College, said that diseases like pyorrhea can can lead to difficulty in controlling diabetes, create problems for lungs and  joints, and in many cases, neither the physician nor the patient realises that the real problem is in the mouth and not any other part of the body. 

“Most people don’t realise that oral diseases can affect their overall health. In case of pyorrhea, it is a silent killer like diabetes and often preys on the nerves. By the time a patient realises that something is wrong, it has already wreaked havoc with the mouth,” said Dr Shah.

Poor oral health also results in dental caries (tooth decay) in at least 40 per cent of schoolgoing children. 

Dr Parmar said though there is no data on what percentage of population in the state suffers from caries, it is not likely to be less than the all India average of 60 to 80 per cent.

“As for children I believe it is around 40 per cent,” said Dr Parmar.