Hygiene and prevention
Dental Hygiene and prevention
A balanced diet and correct oral hygiene are the basis for an excellent prevention of dental problems.
In our offices we try to support parents in teaching all the hygiene rules concerning the mouth.
From sealants, where necessary, to topical fluoride applications, every possible method is used to achieve good oral health.
The dental hygienist is a professional figure who deals with the prevention of oral-dental affections in order to prevent pathological conditions such as Gingivitis and Periodontitis that lead to the failure of the ligaments and bone that support the tooth and the fall of the same, caries or systemic pathologies in the heart and kidneys caused by periodontal bacteria that circulate.
Most dental diseases are preventable. This indicates that the main concept of dentistry could be changed to a situation in which the dental hygienist becomes the principal oral care professional. The competencies of dental hygienists focus on disease prevention and oral health promotion; thus referral to a dentist would only become necessary in the event of a failure in the preventive program where disease cannot be controlled. Future oral health care personnel need to be better educated to encourage people to implement healthy lifestyles rather than to treat teeth. In addition, the connection between oral health, general health and health-related quality of life will necessitate a multidisciplinary approach to prevention and oral health promotion. To focus strictly on oral health would too narrowly define the role of the dental hygienist in comprehensive prevention and health promotion. There is no precise boundary between the oral cavity and the rest of the body. Dietary advice to prevent dental caries and smoking cessation counseling to prevent periodontal disease and oral cancer also promote general health. Consequently the focus on prevention and health promotion makes the dental hygienist a very important person in the dental team of the future.
References: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15646586/