We must value our oral health. Good oral health is essential for eating, breathing and speaking, and contributes to general health, well-being and confidence in relationships with others. Moreover, the mouth is not an isolated system from the whole of our body. In fact, it is one of the main routes of entry and exit of different microorganisms in our body that can multiply and cause infections in our mouth and at a systemic level.
Studies say that we neglect our oral health excessively. Oral diseases affect 3,500 million people worldwide, that is, almost half of the entire population of the planet. Its global average prevalence is 45% and the total number of cases of oral diseases is higher than that of mental, cardiovascular, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and cancers as a whole, as reported by the WHO in its 2022 oral health report. For example, only gingivitis, which causes inflammation and bleeding of the gums, affects one in two people in Spain.
The fact that pathologies like this are so common has tended to normalize them, but having your mouth bleed is not normal, rather it is a warning sign. Gingivitis is the prelude to periodontitis, a serious gum disease that, if left unchecked, can lead to tooth loss. Furthermore, gum diseases are a risk factor for certain systemic pathologies, such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory infections such as pneumonia or infectious exacerbations of COPD, diabetes, or a risk factor during pregnancy.
In fact, today we know that people with diabetes have up to a three times greater risk of suffering from periodontitis. Or that hormonal changes in pregnancy cause approximately 40% of pregnant women to suffer from gingivitis. Awareness about the importance of taking care of our oral health is key.
The researchers point out that poor oral health affects general health as well. The number of clinical studies that show the close link between oral health and general health is growing and, in particular, on the positive effect that the prevention or control of a disease such as periodontitis can have on the risk of appearance or aggravation of many diseases that go beyond the oral cavity.
For example, a patient with severe gum disease is at increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or peripheral vascular disease. Also, the more severe your gum disease is, the more likely you are to develop diabetes or serious diabetes complications. Therefore, people with diabetes, hypertension, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases should pay special attention to their oral health. In Spain, 40% of people with hypertension are unaware of their condition, and it is estimated that there are 15 million adults with high blood pressure. There are also more than 5 million people with diabetes, of which 45% do not know they have it.
Recent research and expert consensus point to the crucial role that oral health professionals can play in the early detection of diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure — taking care of our mouth and going to the dentist can help us detect the risk of suffering from these pathologies— and in the promotion of healthy habits among the 55% of the population that attends the 23,500 dental consultations in the country.
In this context, the Spanish Society of Periodontics and Osseointegration (SEPA) has launched the Promosalud project, a pioneering initiative worldwide with the strategic support of Dentaid, which places the dental clinic as an allied health center to improve the state of health overall population. Promosalud is focused on the early detection from the dental office of the risk of suffering from diabetes or arterial hypertension that are not diagnosed, including recommendations and guidelines endorsed by the scientific societies of cardiology, diabetes, arterial hypertension and periodontics.
As Dr. Nart puts it, “society can derive great economic benefit from increased prevention, diagnosis and management of periodontitis, apart from the positive consequences that this has for oral and general health, as well as for its quality of life".
“We are convinced of the importance of this project, with the potential to reach 55% of the adult population that goes through dental clinics each year and, with this, can opt for this excellent preventive opportunity for their health. Above all, taking into account that a high percentage of these people are unaware of their systemic situation”, says Julio Gión, general director of Dentaid Spain.
Specialists recommend taking care of our oral health and giving importance to the gums, to avoid gingivitis. Taking care of our mouth means taking care of our health and our body. For this, it is important to bet on quality brands such as VITIS, from the expert company in oral health Dentaid. VITIS has a wide range of specific products for different oral health needs, such as those that make up VITIS Encías. This range for daily use is specially designed to prevent and help treat inflammation and bleeding gums due to gingivitis or delicate gums. It is made up of the VITIS Gums paste, the VITIS Gums mouthwash and the specific VITIS brush for delicate gums.
The exclusive VITIS formulas have been developed at the Dentaid Research Center, a reference center in oral health research, which ensures the efficacy and quality of its formulas. The Dentaid Research Center is a research space in dental sciences oriented towards the generation of scientific knowledge and the application of this knowledge in the development of solutions for the care and improvement of people's oral health. And it is that hygiene and oral care are very important, but we must take into account how we do it at home and, above all, finish our hygiene with the use of a mouthwash with a good composition. It is up to us to choose the right and most effective products, in addition to going regularly to the dental clinic. Our general health will benefit.
