Oral health: Neglecting it is a serious threat

Dental care is not a luxury nor a need, but essential for protecting health. Many studies have linked oral hygiene with many serious health problems that can even threaten life.

The oral cavity is a breeding ground for many pathogenic microorganisms, which, when not addressed with proper dental hygiene and dental care, can spread to distant parts of the body. This is more likely to occur in patients with weakened immune systems due to conditions such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, or long-term treatment with corticosteroids.

“Studies have shown that in these patients, periodontitis can be associated with heart problems (e.g., endocarditis, acute myocarditis), brain issues (abscesses), respiratory problems (e.g., sinusitis, infections, and lung abscesses), and even with inflammatory bowel diseases (e.g., Crohn’s disease) and heart attacks,” says Dr. Katerina Douma-Michelaki, DDS, PhD, Pediatric & Adult Orthodontist (http://www.greatsmiles.gr). “Although this does not mean that periodontitis is the cause of these diseases, it is believed to be an important aggravating factor.”

How could mouth bacteria threaten the body’s health? “There are three possible mechanisms: the ‘migration’ of bacteria from the mouth, the additional strain on an already exhausted immune system, and a minor injury in the mouth that allows bacteria to enter the bloodstream,” replies the expert.

Unfortunately, “in our country, dental practice has been devalued and underestimated by the public and the state, resulting in the continuous deterioration of the population’s oral health,” she adds.

According to recent data from Eurostat (May 2016), our country ranks third in Europe for unmet dental needs.

Specifically, 14.3% of Greeks aged 16 and over have dental problems for which they have not received treatment. The only countries with higher percentages are Portugal (18.8%) and Latvia (21.2%), while all other countries have unmet dental needs under 12%, and the European average is 8%.

The main reason for unmet dental needs in our country is problems with the healthcare system (affecting 12.9% of this population). Economic reasons (few insurance funds cover dental and orthodontic work) are the primary cause for 12.3% of the population, and the second most common reason is long waiting lists (0.4% of the population) at the few dentists of insurance funds.

Among other reasons for unmet dental needs, fear of dentists (0.8% of the population) and lack of time (0.5% of the population aged 16 and over) stand out.

According to other data presented almost two years ago by the Greek Dental Federation (EOD), nearly four in ten middle-aged and elderly individuals suffer from tooth loss they cannot correct and are forced to live without teeth – “with all the consequences this has for their quality of life, both in terms of nutrition and socializing, which are known to be prerequisites for good health,” says Dr. Douma-Michelaki.

Equally frequent are the dental problems that go untreated in children. Another study by the EOD showed that during the decade until 2014, 60% of all dental problems in 15-year-old teenagers were left untreated for at least a year, with this percentage being significantly higher compared to 44% in the previous decade. Moreover, almost all five-year-old children (86.8%) had dental problems for which they underwent treatment with significant delay.

“In times of economic crisis, many consider visiting the dentist and orthodontist a luxury, and thus stop preventive check-ups altogether, coming to see us only when their problem has reached an advanced stage,” emphasizes Dr. Douma-Michelaki. “The state, on the other hand, excludes almost all dental and orthodontic care from insurance coverage. However, in advanced countries, it is increasingly recognized that oral health is interconnected with physical health and that orthodontic treatments are not merely aesthetic interventions. Thus, in many countries, criteria are being established for insurance coverage of selected cases, while in others, this has been in place for years.”

In the USA, for example, orthodontic procedures deemed medically necessary, such as severe malocclusion due to issues like skeletal anomalies of the upper and/or lower jaw, clefts, and other craniofacial or dentofacial deformities or injuries requiring orthodontic correction, are beginning to be covered. In Denmark, similar criteria have been in place for many years for children and teenagers, while orthodontic treatment for adults is free when it requires concurrent maxillofacial surgery. In many other European countries, part of the treatment is covered, while in Canada, up to 50% or more of the cost of even common braces may be covered.