Dental public health
Encyclopedia
Dental public health is a non-clinical speciality of dentistry
.
Dental public health is involved in the assessment of dental health needs and improving the dental health of populations rather than individuals.
One of the controversial subjects relating to dental public health is fluoridation of drinking water. Commercial mouthwashes have also been a cause for concern, with some studies linking them to an increased risk of oral cancer.
There seems to be a lot more that can be done to help individuals prevent tooth decay based on what is already known.
Even with fluoridation and oral hygiene, tooth decay is still the most common food related disease affecting all families, having the economic impact of heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
However decay is easy to prevent with a national project like Supertooth.org to reduce acid demineralisation from food left on teeth, neutralise acid and remineralise demineralised tooth after eating, or at least twice a day chewing a special form of toothpaste before or after brushing.
All cavities occur from acid demineralisation of teeth where chewing leaves food trapped on teeth. Though more than 95% of trapped food is left packed between teeth after every meal or snack, over 80% of cavities develop inside pits and fissures in grooves on chewing surfaces where the brush and fluoride toothpaste cannot reach.
Fissure sealants painted over chewing surfaces blocks food being trapped inside pits and fissures and changed to acid helping prevent acid demineralisation and tooth decay about as much as fluoridation where over 80% of cavities occur. Sealants forced inside pits and fissures under chewing pressure penetrate deeper inside chewing surfaces where food is forced under chewing pressure where brushing cannot reach as seen with a glass model of a fissure on the Supertooth and good food friends website
Chewing fibre like celery after eating helps force saliva inside pits and fissures and between teeth to dilute carbohydrate like sugar in trapped food, neutralise acid and remineralise tooth better than chewing gum that cannot absorb or expel saliva.
Chewing toothpaste before or after brushing would help fluoride remineralise susceptible tooth surfaces between teeth and inside pits and fissures where brushing cannot reach.
We already know how to prevent tooth decay but need to make it simple, convenient and easy .
Public health dentistry, dental specialty concerned primarily with prevention of dental decay and of periodontal disease (disease of the tissues surrounding the teeth). Public health dentistry is practiced generally through governmentally sponsored programs, which are for the most part directed toward public-school children in the belief that their education in oral hygiene is the best way to reach the general public. The pattern for such programs in the past was a dentist’s annual visit to a school to lecture and to demonstrate proper tooth-brushing techniques. The 1970s saw the emergence of a more elaborate program that included a week of one-hour sessions of instruction, demonstration, and questions and answers, conducted by a dentist and a dental assistant and aided by a teacher who had previously been given several hours of instruction. Use was also made of televised dental health education programs, which parents were encouraged to observe.
On a larger scale, public health dentistry has been concerned with the improvement of oral health in large populations. Thus, the fluoridation of municipal water supplies in the mid-1940s resulted from research studies conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service. This service is also involved in the delivery of dental care to specialized populations, including Native Americans on reservations, as well as the Eskimo population of Alaska.
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
.
Dental public health is involved in the assessment of dental health needs and improving the dental health of populations rather than individuals.
One of the controversial subjects relating to dental public health is fluoridation of drinking water. Commercial mouthwashes have also been a cause for concern, with some studies linking them to an increased risk of oral cancer.
Academic resources
- Journal of Public Health Dentistry
There seems to be a lot more that can be done to help individuals prevent tooth decay based on what is already known.
Even with fluoridation and oral hygiene, tooth decay is still the most common food related disease affecting all families, having the economic impact of heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
However decay is easy to prevent with a national project like Supertooth.org to reduce acid demineralisation from food left on teeth, neutralise acid and remineralise demineralised tooth after eating, or at least twice a day chewing a special form of toothpaste before or after brushing.
All cavities occur from acid demineralisation of teeth where chewing leaves food trapped on teeth. Though more than 95% of trapped food is left packed between teeth after every meal or snack, over 80% of cavities develop inside pits and fissures in grooves on chewing surfaces where the brush and fluoride toothpaste cannot reach.
Fissure sealants painted over chewing surfaces blocks food being trapped inside pits and fissures and changed to acid helping prevent acid demineralisation and tooth decay about as much as fluoridation where over 80% of cavities occur. Sealants forced inside pits and fissures under chewing pressure penetrate deeper inside chewing surfaces where food is forced under chewing pressure where brushing cannot reach as seen with a glass model of a fissure on the Supertooth and good food friends website
Chewing fibre like celery after eating helps force saliva inside pits and fissures and between teeth to dilute carbohydrate like sugar in trapped food, neutralise acid and remineralise tooth better than chewing gum that cannot absorb or expel saliva.
Chewing toothpaste before or after brushing would help fluoride remineralise susceptible tooth surfaces between teeth and inside pits and fissures where brushing cannot reach.
We already know how to prevent tooth decay but need to make it simple, convenient and easy .
Public health dentistry, dental specialty concerned primarily with prevention of dental decay and of periodontal disease (disease of the tissues surrounding the teeth). Public health dentistry is practiced generally through governmentally sponsored programs, which are for the most part directed toward public-school children in the belief that their education in oral hygiene is the best way to reach the general public. The pattern for such programs in the past was a dentist’s annual visit to a school to lecture and to demonstrate proper tooth-brushing techniques. The 1970s saw the emergence of a more elaborate program that included a week of one-hour sessions of instruction, demonstration, and questions and answers, conducted by a dentist and a dental assistant and aided by a teacher who had previously been given several hours of instruction. Use was also made of televised dental health education programs, which parents were encouraged to observe.
On a larger scale, public health dentistry has been concerned with the improvement of oral health in large populations. Thus, the fluoridation of municipal water supplies in the mid-1940s resulted from research studies conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service. This service is also involved in the delivery of dental care to specialized populations, including Native Americans on reservations, as well as the Eskimo population of Alaska.
See also
- Public healthPublic healthPublic health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
- Smiley's Good Teeth Puppet Theatre