The race towards being toothless!!

Posted by MRINAL AGRAWAL on June 29th, 2019

Oral Health is one of the most ignored aspects in Indian households. Ignorance is one of the primary reasons for the spread of oral health issues such as pyorrhoea in India

A sharp rise in cases of pyorrhoea is forcing several in the 25-45 age group to put on dentures. Pyorrhoea not only leads to inflamation of gums but also leads to a rapid bone loss around the teeth, leading to early los of teeth without any actual problem in the teeth themselves.

When Ganesh, a 38 year old male visited a dentist for the first time with acute pain and swollen gums, he wa shocked to hear from the dentist that all of his present teeth will have to be extracted. All of this because he was scared that if gets his gums cleaned, all of his teeth will start to shake. This is a common myth in Indian households, which restrains them from visiting the dentist. On the contrary if people start to get their scaling done in due amount of time, the process of converting simple plaque to acute pyorrhoea could be easily halted. Symptoms like foul smell from the mouth, bleeding, swelling and receding gums should not be ignored.

per the National Oral Health Survey of India (2002-03), the prevalence of periodontal(gum) diseases in India was 57.0%, 67.7%, 89.6% and 79.9% in the age groups 12, 15, 35-44 and 65-74 years, respectively. While the age standard­ized incidence of oral cancer in India is 12.6 per 100,000 population. In the age range of 65-74 years, 19% in India are toothless.

These figures are mind boggling!

Another big reason for such a bad situation is the unequal distribution of dentists in India,with most located in urban rich locations. Because of its high cost, most people in rural India cant afford a dental treatment. This forces the qualified dentists to concentrate in the urban areas.

Dr Rakesh Thaper, a renowned Dentist and periodontist spreads more light on Pyorrhoea "If a person becomes diabetic , he/she is at a higher risk to develop pyorrhoea. Diabetics tend to develop pyorrhea as their wounds do not heal quickly, leading to deposition of bacteria in the wounds and this can eventually lead to pyorrhea"

"The increased prevalence & severity of periodontitis seen in diabetic patients, with poor metabolic control, has led to the assigning of periodontal diseases as the “sixth complication of diabetes mellitus.”

Early Symptoms

• bleeding, painful gums.
• painful ulcers.
• receding gums in between your teeth.
• bad breath.
• Loose Teeth
• excess saliva in your mouth.
• difficulty swallowing.
• a metallic taste in mouth.

If you are regularly facing any of the above mentioned symptoms then it is time for you to visit your dentist for a proper diagnosis. Early detection is key to any medical problem, same is with pyorrhoea.

Loss of tooth not only leads to difficulty in eating, but as a result one loses apetite, starts to become malnutritioned as they cant eat many types of foods. This also leads to low confidence levels in individuals.

Many a times people have to replace their teeth with dentures, bridges, or dental Implants. Dental implants in India are starting to become common replacement technique for missing teeth, but the higher cost compared to the per capita income in Inida , makes it quite unaffordable for many.

Hence the best way to avoid extra expense is educating people about oral health and avoiding oral health issues.