Dental health is not considered as significant as mental health, in fact it is not a primary concern at all for many. Dr Tanvi Parkar tells you why maintaining dental hygiene is just as important as overall hygiene

The stress and anxiety related to the infection coupled with the mental fatigue of calibrating oneself to the new normal, has made people realise the importance of mental wellness. To add to these, news of celebrities breathing their last owing to mental illness, has put this issue in the limelight. As we browse along the myriad of discourses on wellbeing, we quickly can realise that dental health is not considered as significant as mental health, in fact dental health is not a primary concern at all.

Oral cavity is one of the most important parts of our bodies that dentists dedicate five years of their lives learning. The fact that they spend most of their curricular time (even more by post-graduates), on such a small part of the body, itself, makes it so significant. Sadly, this seems to be a trivial subject for many. Maybe they feel that dentists shall only talk about brushing twice a day which is covered by a toothpaste as it is, so what’s more to it?? The relevance of dental health and why it should be a part of workplace wellbeing programme is what is discussed in the article.

Some of the significant aspects of oral cavity and dental health are as follows:

Functions of oral cavity: The oral cavity and its components have various functions like chewing food, enabling us to pronounce words, and giving shape and form to the face.

Oral manifestations of systemic diseases: A lot of systemic diseases have oral manifestations. These include diabetes, certain infections, gastrointestinal problems as well as nutritional deficiencies.

Entry to the digestive system: The oral cavity is the portal to the digestive system. It is here that food is tasted and enjoyed, masticated with the teeth and mixed with saliva to form a bolus — an ingestible and digestible form of food that enters the oesophagus. It is also in the mouth that the food is mixed with digestible enzymes from the saliva for easy digestion.

Workplace grooming and halitosis: We are supposed to meet a lot of people for work related matters. These could be bosses, co-workers, clients, and other people. It is expected that we are well groomed and follow etiquetteduring our meetings. One of the important aspects of this is oral hygiene. It is not necessary that we must go for a celebrity level smile design, however, it is pertinent that we do not show the food that’s stuck in our teeth while we are talking or smiling.  Halitosis or bad breath is also one of the concerns and a huge turn off whileinteracting socially.

Significance of oral health in COVID-19 situation:

Nasopharynx and oropharynx: The oral cavity is an entrance to the respiratory tract and maintaining good oral hygiene can prevent COVID-19 infection.

Saliva and oral mucosa: The oral mucosa and salivary glands are lined with ACE2 (angiotensin converting enzyme 2) receptors, which are used by SARS-CoV-2 virus to enter epithelial cells. In addition, SARS-CoV RNA can be detected in saliva before lung lesions appear. This may explain the presence of asymptomatic infections. Thus, the potential infectivity of saliva alone must not be ignored.

Xerostomia and dysgeusia: The inflammation caused by the viral infection leads to reduced salivary secretions and dry mouth. Alteration in the quantity and composition of saliva also leads to loss or altered taste.

Mask mouth: Wearing mask for prolonged duration results in decreased salivation or dry mouth that results in cavities, gum disease and sour breath.

Loss of teeth in long haulers: A phenomenon where idiopathic bone loss and falling out of teeth have been reported by few people who have been experiencing COVID-19 symptoms for a very long time. Although a thorough research and more evidence is required to substantiate this phenomenon, it is speculated that the infection caused inflammation that could attack the gums and mouth, which might be able to trigger tooth loss.

As we can observe from the above, oral care plays a vital role in the overall health or a person. This has become crucial in the pandemic times. Dental treatments are currently not covered in most insurance programmes in the country. Ergo, oral health needs to be an important aspect of workplace wellness since education, awareness and early detection are key to good outcomes. As the famous saying goes, “Dentistry is not expensive, neglect is!”, we must ensure that we always maintain good oral hygiene. In conclusion, we must provide equal attention to dental health as we provide to mental health in the workplace.

The writer is Health Risk Management Consultant, Anviti Insurance Brokers