Oral health affecting health in old age… Get regular oral examinations
Periodontal disease, more common than the common cold… 17.4 million hospital visits per year
Increased incidence of systemic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke
Regular oral examinations are required to prevent tooth loss and dry mouth.
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Oral health in old age. Clip Art Korea Images
What are the main reasons why Koreans visit hospitals? Often people think of the common cold, but there are diseases that are more common than the common cold. Periodontal disease is known as periodontal disease.
According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, 17.4 million patients with periodontal disease visited the hospital last year, beating out the common cold and ranking first in the ‘Outpatient Frequent Injury Statistics’ for three consecutive years.
Periodontal disease is a disease in which bacteria inhabit the tartar, which is formed by hardening of the plaque on the surface of the teeth that is not sufficiently removed by brushing following eating. Regular management is very important as studies have reported that the incidence of systemic diseases such as diabetes 6 times, cardiovascular disease 2.2 times, stroke 2.8 times, and dementia 2.6 times compared to those without periodontal disease.
Teeth that affect overall health
When tooth loss occurs, it is best to restore the missing tooth. Without teeth, it is easy to think of it as simply uncomfortable when eating. However, since dental health is often related to other systemic health, it is necessary to pay special attention to it.
Teeth are essential for eating. Humans not only supply nutrients necessary for survival through meals, but also help maintain cerebral blood flow through chewing (咀嚼) activities. Without teeth, not only can it be difficult to eat food, but it can also affect the nutritional status of the whole body as muscles are reduced due to improper mastication and blood flow to the brain is reduced.
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‘Chewing power’ also affects dementia
Oral health, which affects the general health of the elderly population, is an important indicator of quality of life in old age.
Chewing power, in particular, has a powerful effect on overall health. If you have weak or missing teeth, your chewing power will decrease and the amount of saliva produced will decrease. Because of this, it is difficult to eat food, and essential nutrients such as carbohydrates and protein are not supplied properly, and as a result, muscles dry up, and cognitive function also declines.
Chewing strength also directly affects the development of dementia. Insufficient chewing power reduces the concentration of a brain neurotransmitter called ‘acetylcholine’.
Acetylcholine is also used as a drug for dementia and plays a very important role in overall health, including cognitive and motor functions such as memory. A persistent lack of acetylcholine can lead to cognitive decline such as chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety, memory, and judgment.
In addition, when pressure is applied to other teeth to chew food, the position of the teeth changes, and the gums are also burdened, which eventually worsens into periodontal disease.
Excessive secretion of inflammatory cytokines due to chronic periodontal disease can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis and hyperlipidemia as well as the brain.
Dental health also affects mental health
Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland looked at 250 people over the age of 75 to find a correlation between nutritional status in later life. As a result of the study, the nutritional status of the elderly who did not eat properly due to poor dental condition deteriorated. As a result, the elderly with weakened chewing ability to crush food also weakened their swallowing function, which passes food into the esophagus.
On the other hand, older adults with retained teeth had a relatively low risk of loss of appetite and problems with chewing and swallowing.
Loss of teeth due to periodontal disease also affects mental health such as depression and dementia. This is because if the number of teeth decreases and the blood flow to the brain decreases due to decreased chewing activity, it can affect the metabolic activity of the brain, decrease nerve activity, and lead to systemic malnutrition, which can also affect cognitive function. There are also studies showing that infection or inflammation caused by poor dental care affects dementia.
When you have depression, you lose energy and everything becomes cumbersome, and you neglect your oral care. A vicious cycle of worsening oral conditions is created. In fact, a study published in Japan found that 65-year-olds who lost teeth were regarding 1.3 times more likely to have depression symptoms than those who had 20 or more teeth.
Loss of teeth is more likely to cause dry mouth. Dry mouth can make your mouth dry and make you more susceptible to infections. Saliva not only provides moisture to the oral mucosa, but also the immune component in saliva suppresses oral bacteria.
Periodic dental check-ups in old age are important
Oral health greatly affects overall health in old age, so prevention and treatment through regular dental checkups are essential. In addition, if there is difficulty in mastication due to missing teeth, it is important to restore normal masticatory function through implant placement or denture production. In the case of dry mouth, in daily life, proper hydration and humidity control in living and working spaces are required.
It’s a good idea to put a humidifier in your sleeping area, especially when you’re sleeping, as salivation is reduced. Be sure to bring water and sugar-free gum or candy with you when you go out.
Experts emphasize that if oral diseases are detected early and properly managed, there will be no problems in daily life.
Choi Jin-seok, Public Relations Director of Daegu Dental Association, said, “If left untreated for a long period of time, oral diseases are difficult to recover, and daily oral activities such as conversation and food intake become inconvenient or lead to various follow-up diseases, which lowers the quality of life. It is important to undergo an oral examination and receive appropriate evaluation and counseling from a specialist.”
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