Common Oral Health Conditions And The Related Costs Of Treating Such Problems

Good oral health is important for a person's sense of well being and quality of life (Fiske, 2001). Inadequate oral hygiene can lead to pain, tooth loss, oral disease,

The prevention of caries is accomplished through the execution of a variety of measures, such as the fluoridation of the drinking water supply as well as the utilization of sealants and topical fluorides (Mouradian, Wehr, and Crall 2625). Despite the ease of preventability of tooth decay, it is one of the most common childhood chronic diseases, with more than half of the nation’s children having detectable caries (Mouradian, Wehr, and Crall 2625). Unfortunately, only 62% of water supplies are fluoridated, and underserved communities with low-income and minority families are usually the ones who are disproportionately affected (Mouradian, Wehr, and Crall 2626). Low-income individuals are generally less likely to seek preventative care, increasing their costs of neglected oral diseases and morbidity factors (Mouradian, Wehr, and Crall 2626). In addition, only one in five children who are covered by Medicaid are authorized for preventative oral healthcare, while restorative care is generally not even a consideration (Mouradian, Wehr, and Crall 2625).

As society continues to age, one fourth of the world will be 65 years or older, thanks to the influx of baby boomers. Due to this rapid growth in longevity, this will multiply the problem of access to care. Attention towards systemic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and strokes are being discussed by government agencies and health care professionals. (Overview of oral health, 2017). There is evidence linking oral health to systemic health, therefore, a need for a more collaborative approach towards prevention is critical to achieve overall health for the public (Jin, 2016).

Because children are influenced by the family tradition and learn from their parents, it is important for parents to make sure that they are teaching proper oral care habits at a young age. The habits that children should learn at a young age are; keeping up with home dental care, receiving the dental care that people should, needing dental care but being enforced to go, brushing teeth as well as they should, being taught on how to control snacking between meals as well as they should, and being taught that dental care is indeed important. " Poor oral health has an impact upon children's health in general and dental caries can lead to a lack of appetite, problems with chewing, problems with sleeping and a decrease in school performance" (Abanto et al, 2011). Proper health education is somewhat

A health system defined as ‘all the activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore and/or maintain health’ (WHO 2013). A good health system is indicated by its capability to delivers quality services, when and where the people need them (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2014). Australia’s health-care system is a combination of public welfare and private market provision (Willis, Reynolds & Keleher 2009). There are multiple layers of responsibility and funding provided by governments, individuals, health providers and private health insurers (Biggs 2013).

Over 130 million Americans do not have dental insurance. On top of that, almost a million emergency room visits last year resulted from preventable oral conditions. Many Americans today are unaware of how the condition of their dentition affects their overall health. Socioeconomic limitations, the lack of dental education in parents, eating habits, and simply the availability of dentists plays a key role in the state of children’s oral health; implementing a universal dental care program will help lower the barriers that many people face when it comes to receiving the dental care they need. The program will target high-risk individuals who are prone to dental caries and provide them with standard

Oral health care is an integral part of the US healthcare system. In 2012, Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced “The Comprehensive Dental Reform Act”, which aimed on expanding dental coverage, accessible oral health care centers, increase in dental workforce, enhanced dental education and encourage dental research. (Congress.gov). The ACA, aim to curb the national health spending, by facilitating the affordability to quality care through private and public health insurance. The purpose of this bill is to cut the healthcare costs and to reverse the “silent epidemic” of dental health status (surgeon gen). This dental bill with an integrated approach towards the preventive and comprehensive oral healthcare is estimated to provide coverage to almost 17.7 million adults. (ADA

Administration of this clinical skill involved undertaking an assessment of my colleague’s mouth before delivering any care in order to help determine the most appropriate means of delivering oral care. Malkin (2009) asserts that this is a critical component of the procedure and was one I was keen not to overlook. The World Health Organisation (WHO 2010) describes a healthy mouth as being free of chronic mouth and facial pain and in the situation described; this is the condition I found my partner’s mouth to be in. I was therefore happy to proceed with cleaning his teeth as instructed. I selected to use a soft bristled toothbrush and toothpaste. The use of these adjuncts are described by many writers as being the most appropriate in terms of removing plaque and preventing trauma to the gums (Holman et al 2005,McCauliffe 2007).Despite this it has been identified that they are also most

As stated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Each year, more than 30,000 new cases of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx are diagnosed and over 8,000 deaths due to oral cancer occur.” (CDC). Most adults are unaware that they have periodontal disease or gum disease, this occurs because they do not maintain routine checkups with their dentist. When we insert food and other bacteria into our mouths, it affects our teeth and gums. We need routine dental checkups and cleanings throughout our lives. Dental checkups usually involve x-rays, cleanings, and the examination of the mouth.

The method from Health Education Journal was based on collecting and evaluating evidence, “…using a combined approach incorporating the Cochrane Public Health and Health Promotion Field Handbook and the Health Gains Notation in order to a develop a synthesis approach to reporting,” (Satur et al., 2010). However, Community Dental Health utilized electronic searching, iterative-hand searching, critical appraisal and data synthesis in which the primary research reviewed settings were at clinical, community, schools or other institutions in which children, elderly, people with handicaps and disabilities were the participants. Another difference in both articles is the conclusions. Community Dental Health concluded that the use of fluoride is efficient in reducing caries through oral health promotion, chairside oral health promotion is shown to be effective; however mass media programs have not. On the other hand, the article from Health Education Journal states that even though there is a respectable support in incorporating the oral health into the general health promotion, it is vital to observe the outcomes in oral health terms.

Oral cancer is a devastating disease. Over eight thousand American lives are taken by oral cancer and only a fourth of these patients do not excessively drink alcohol or smoke tobacco, which are the two main causes of oral cancer (The Oral Cancer Foundation). Survival rates for oral cancer could be much higher if the population would take precautionary measures to reduce their chances of being diagnosed with oral cancer. When the use of alcohol and tobacco are decreased, the chances of acquiring oral cancer are also decreased. By visiting the dentist at least once every year, new lesions could be found. Unfortunately, only seven percent of the population, who visits the dentist regularly, receives a thorough oral cancer exam(The Oral

Lastly, low income countries have 62% of the world population and there world health expenditure is 2%. By looking at this information “Evidence based intervention for all major oral diseases exist. But they are not available or implemented in majority of countries” (Beaglehole Pg 91). Please refer to appendix 5 and 6

Caries is largely preventable by early diagnosis, identification of individual risk factors, patient counselling and education, and initiation of preventive care procedures. The progressive nature of dental disease can quickly diminish the general health and quality of life especially in the case of caries in anterior teeth. Failure to identify and prevent dental disease leads to consequential and long-term adverse effects. Untreated dental disease can compromise the patient’s ability to eat, sleep and function well at home and the society. An aesthetic healthy smile in addition to being an important determinant of overall physical aesthetics has been observed to have a considerable bearing on social interaction, playing an important role in

Although many Americans have good oral hygiene due to fluoride and making everyday good decisions, others do not have any access at all to oral health care. Over the years, dentists have been trying to demonstrate the importance of oral care. (“Access to Dental Care”) From commercials to campaigns, dentists will continue to demonstrate to their patients as well as to the people who don't have insurance the importance of oral health care. They will teach them preventative care and some techniques on how to prevent from getting any diseases.

Other discoveries include, among dentate adults aged 18–35 with an oral health problem who did not see a dental specialist in the past 6 months, the fundamental reason cost; 56% of current smokers, 36% of previous smokers, and 35% of never smokers could not bear treatment or did not have insurance. This study has found that that among dentate adults aged 18–35 there are differences in oral health status and oral health care utilization among current smokers, previous smokers, and never smokers. In general, current smokers had a poorer oral health status and more oral health issues than either previous smokers or never smokers. Current smokers were moreover more likely to delay schedule dental visits. When current smokers experienced a