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Common dental problems in our country

DR MD MUJIBUR R HOWALADER
The most devastating and common oral and dental diseases in our country are dental carries and periodontal diseases. Globally among all human diseases, dental caries and the periodontal diseases are the most prevalent.
Although dental diseases are presently considered to be the diseases of modern civilisation, they are neglected and ignored by our people due to lack of knowledge and health education along with misconception. Fortunately these diseases are preventable.
In our daily clinical practice we are to face many common dental problems. They include;
1.Oro-facial pain due to caries, pulpitis periodontal disease etc.
2.Acute swelling related to dental infection, cyst, tumor etc.
3.Traumatic fractured teeth and jaws due to accidents.
4.Bleeding from the mouth due to trauma, gingivitis and blood disorders.
5.Oral ulcer due to syphilis, gonorrea, tuberculosis, oral cancer.
6.Oral manifestations of some systemic diseases such as kidney diseases, jaundice, gastrointestinal tract diseases, diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases and blood cancers.
7.Oro-facial problems in infancy, pregnancy, menopausal
(cessation of menstruation) age.
8.Diseases of salivary glands such as salivary tumors, temporomandibular joint disorders, neurological disorders.
9.Dental infections resulting from cavernous sinus thrombosis of brain, brain abscess, lung abscess, liver abscess, kidney problems, joint arthritis and bacterial endocarditis (a kind of heart disease) etc.
10.Cross infections from infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B, C, D, AIDS, sexually transmitted infections etc.
Dental caries, which was once the main area of dental work, has declined strikingly. This applies to children particularly. But this change may spread to adults and dental health seems gradually to be improving. Virtually we do not treat the diseased teeth of a person, rather we treat the diseases of the person who have teeth.
Dental caries
It is the commonest among all dental diseases. It is a progressive and largely irreversible bacterial (streptomutans) damage to teeth exposed to the oral environment. It is a major cause of our teeth loss. The ultimate effect of dental caries is break down of enamel and dentine. It opens a
path for bacteria to reach the underlying tissue and to the vital organs via the blood stream. It is mostly related to refined carbohydrate specially sugars. The following three factors help to develop caries;
i)Bacterial plaque
ii)Bacterial substrate, specially sugar; and
iii)Susceptible tooth surface.
Periodontal disease
It is a pathological process involving the periodontum (supporting structures of tooth). A common factor for both caries and periodontal diseases is bacterial plaque. Bacterial plaque is a biofilm that is tenaciously adherent on the both surface consisting of food debris, salivary mucin, desquamated oral epithelial tissue and dense concentration of bacteria of many species.
Preventive measures for oral and dental diseases
&Brush your teeth twice daily specially before bed and in the morning after breakfast.
&Avoid sweets in between meals. &Eat fibrous food instead of sticky food.
&Use fluoridated tooth paste and mouth rinses.
&Visit your dentist regularly twice a year.