Don’t take for granted that brushing your teeth would suffice in ensuring good oral hygiene as the teeth only covers 23 percent of the oral cavity.

Even for those brushing their teeth at least twice daily, the regime only helps to clean one fourth of the oral cavity excluding the tight gaps between the teeth and the difficult to reach spots.

Thus, it is evident that brushing your teeth alone will not help in preventing the formation of bacterial plaques on the teeth and gums that contributes to tooth decay and gum diseases.

That is why flossing to remove food residues between the teeth and disinfecting the whole oral cavity with an antiseptic mouthwash are highly recommended.

The floss helps to clean between teeth where the toothbrush cannot reach while the antiseptic mouthwash helps disinfect the teeth and the whole oral cavity, and prevents bad breath.

DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY

According to the Malaysian Dental Association President Dr S. Sivanesan, a number of studies conducted in several developed nations confirmed that most individuals failed to maintain sufficient oral hygiene levels to prevent the formation of plaque though they brushed their teeth daily.

“This may be because they brushed their teeth in the wrong manner”, explained Sivanesan.

He noted that, in Malaysia, dental care has evolved from managing toothache to preventing them in the first place. The two compelling reasons for the lost of teeth is decay and gum disease due to poor oral hygiene.

Nevertheless, both problems can be reduced and even completely eliminated by maintaining proper oral hygiene and by consulting a dentist at regular intervals.

“The patient too can help reduce the periodontic disease risks by eliminating the accumulation of plaque. This can be done routinely by brushing and flossing the teeth and rinsing the mouth with antiseptic liquids”, he explained.

VISIT A DENTIST EVERY SIX MONTHS

According to Dr Sivanesan, the dental health practitioners were responsible in spreading the message on dental care and encourage people to adopt the right attitude in taking care of the oral health.

“We are also responsible in ensuring patients come for check-ups once every six months and recommend to them methods to maintain or improve their oral health”, he added.

As brushing your teeth alone would not suffice in ensuring overall oral hygiene and to determine the non-existence of gum disease, and Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT) need to be included in your yearly health screening plan.

“This is especially when looking at the fact that the average brushing time for an adult is 37 seconds only”.

79 percent of dental patients have never flossed their teeth while 50 percent of the adults suffered from gingivitis in at least two of three of their teeth.

“Gingivitis is the early stage of gum disease due to accumulation of plaque. This disease can be avoided by using antiseptic mouthwash”, he added.

MALAYSIAN TOUR

A study in Malaysia on adult oral health conducted in year 2000 revealed that in general those above 15 were enjoying better oral health very much due to the fluoride added in the water supply.

Nonetheless, there are still serious problems in dental care like the lack of sufficient resources in providing dental care, information on dental care and tooth extraction.

Under the National Oral Health Plan, it is hoped that Malaysians will achieve optimal oral health by 2010 with the emphasis on reducing dental caries and periodontic diseases.

Source: Bernama