Health - is a natural, balanced with the environment, state of the organism, which is characterized by the absence of any diseases. Moreover, health - is the normal state, the harmonious functioning of all organs and systems intact, not only under normal conditions, but also during physical and mental stress. Human health is determined by a number of factors: biological genetic and acquired, as well as social, which play an important role in maintaining our health and in certain bad conditions can cause the emergence and development of the disease. The concept of health is divided into physical and mental. Physical health - is a normal functioning of intact tissues and organs, as a consequence - the absence of pain. Mentally healthy person has a clear mind, a good mood, memory and sleep. The concept of mental and physical health are closely related and depend on each other. Normal health, as a rule, is determined by the person’s well-being, and that is the subjective criterion. Objective criteria for individual health are the following: normal anthropometric (height, physique), anatomical (structure of organs and tissues), physiological (functioning of the organs and systems) and biochemical (blood composition, etc.) parameters. The opposite to health is illness. During illnesses the body operates in an environment of anatomical and functional abnormalities of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems. The patient body is less viable and less adapted to the influence of the environmental factors.Fundamentals of health are created before birth. The periods of childhood and youth are very important for its formation. Therefore, it is recommended to care about health, develop healthy lifestyles, follow the rules of personal hygiene and so on from the early childhood. There are a lot of systems that are connected between themselves and form the health system as a whole. Important component of this chain is oral health. Oral health has a long and interesting history. The history points the fact that the first doctors that were qualified in oral health medical sphere come from Egypt, approximately 2600 BC. Furthermore, the well known figures as Aristotle and Hippocrates mentioned different aspects of oral health illnesses such as tooth decay, extraction and gum-related diseases. Interesting fact that in 700 AD the first notion of using the silver paste for the purpose of amalgam to endorse the oral health is written down in Chinese medical study. Pierre Fauchard is considered to be the father of modern dentistry. His book “The Surgeon Dentist, A Treatise on Teeth” which was published back in 1723, includes a lot of aspects of oral health such as surgery, anatomy that served as a basis for modern stomatology.
Dentistry was heavily influenced and eased by the following inventions and discoveries: In 1746 Claude Mouton proposed to use white enamel with golden tooth crowns. Shortly after that in 1790 new strategy was recommended for the oral health: porcelain teeth, and it was patented. Another great invention comes from Charles Goodyear in 1832, he came up with the vulcanized rubber, that is used nowadays as the foundation for the artificial teeth. Can you imagine the complex dentistry surgeries without anesthesia? It is impossible. The invention of the American dentist Horace Wells has made the surgeries much less stressful and painful. He proposed the usage of nitrous oxide as an anesthesia in stomatology.
Interesting and yet important role is dedicated to the dental chairs. They provide the dentist with the access to the mouth of the patient, which in his turn feels more comfortable. This intention was improved and perfected with years starting from the 1790, when Josiah Flagg created the first chair with the place for instruments and controllable headrest. Furthermore, the invention of the first reclining chair in history is saved under the name of James Snell in 1832.
We can’t but mention one of the most important thing connected to the Stomagology. It is toothpaste! It became available for the public in the late 1880s, with its help – people could improve the situation with their health at much cheaper price, in comparison with tooth powder. Nowadays, all the brands such as Colgate, Crest, Blendamed and so on add Fluoride in their products. It helps preventing tooth decays and cavities. They appeared on the market in the 1950s.
Diseases connected within the dentistry have become an important issue starting from the 20th century due to the lifestyles that the mankind has been following. What are the reasons for oral diseases? First of all oral diseases are more common among the poor and socially disadvantaged groups. Besides this there are risk factors for oral diseases that increase the possibility of being exposed to oral diseases, they are: unhealthy diet, bad habits such as smoking, abusing of alcohol, not following the healthy diet and others. Oral health is a vital component of overall health. By being orally healthy we understand that it is a state which is free of pain in the mouth, cancer of the mouth and throat infections and ulcers of the mouth, periodontitis (gum disease) tooth loss, as well as other diseases and disorders that limit a person's ability to bite, chew, smile as well as its psychosocial well-being.
The most common oral diseases are dental caries, periodontitis (gum disease), cancer of the mouth, infections of the mouth, trauma and congenital conditions.To start of with caries, we can say that there is a tendency of 60-90% of children and 100% of adults that have dental caries which causes pain and inconveniences. It is observed globally. This can be prevented by maintaining constant low levels of fluoride in the mouth. Another well known illness is severe periodontal. It can lead to the loss of teeth. Moreover this disease is observed in 15-20% of people in their middle age (35-44 years).Agomphiasis has been known for centuries, however, oral cancer disease has been recently added to the list of ilnesses connected with dentistry The main causes of tooth loss are dental caries and periodontal disease. Total loss of natural teeth is widespread, especially among the elderly. All over the world 30% of people at the age of 65-74years have only artificial teeth left.
As for the oral cancer, the incidence of oral cancer ranges from 1 to 10 cases per 100,000 people in most countries. The incidence of oral cancer is relatively higher among older men and among peoples within the countries of the 3rd world due to their low income. However, the main factors that influence the percentage of oral cancer patients are still abusing of alcohol and smoking. Another disease that originates from social and environmental causes is Noma. It is a gangrenous lesion that occurs in young children living in extreme poverty, mainly in Africa and Asia. These lesions are severe gum diseases, which lead to necrosis (premature death of cells in living tissues), lips and chin. Children affected by noma suffer from common infections such as measles and HIV. If untreated 90% of these children dies. What are the main reasons and risk factors that result in oral diseases? Risk factors for oral diseases include unhealthy diet, poor oral hygiene, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. They are also factors which might result in four major groups of chronic diseases: cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes.
The prevalence of oral disease varies according to the geographical area and the accessibility level of health services. The burden of oral and other chronic diseases can be reduced by the simultaneous actions undertaken in respect of the common risk factors. These measures include the following: reduction in consumption of sugar and maintaining a well-balanced diet to prevent damage and premature loss of teeth; eat of fruits and vegetables, which may protect against cancer of the oral cavity. Moreover, smoking must be prohibited once and for all, as for the alcohol consumption – it should be reduced to the minimum, due to the fact that risks of developing cancer as well as loss of teeth are directly proportional. Another not less important key factor in maintaining good oral health is diet. Food that contains any type of sugar affects the decay, hence sticky food should be removed from your ration: Raisins, candies, caramel – cause the decay, as well as cookies, cakes and other sweets which highly influence the formation of hollows sugar. During the meal, sugar sticks to the teeth, because of what may appear hollows. Carbonated , sports drinks should not be used very often.
For the majority of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity, please contact the service dental care. Most of the national dental associations recommend checkups at the dentist once in 6 months.
Finally, oral health is very important part of our overall wellbeing. It is our responsibility to follow the simple hygiene rules and stay away from the junky food. We should consider everything seriously, due to the fact that by our fault - serious diseases might develop.
References
News | Oral Health Platform. (n.d.). Oral Health Platform. Retrieved July 22, 2013, from http://www.oralhealthplatform.eu/news
Oral Diseases. (n.d.). Welcome to the Health Canada Web site | Bienvenue au site Web de SantГ© Canada. Retrieved July 22, 2013, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/oral-bucco/disease-maladie/index-eng.php
Oral health: A window to your overall health - MayoClinic.com. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved July 22, 2013, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dental/DE00001
Patent, l. &. (n.d.). Canadian Dental Association: Your Oral Health. Canadian Dental Association | l'Association dentaire canadienne. Retrieved July 22, 2013, from http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/complications/diseases/
