Doctors, public health experts and dental leaders from the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and the European Association of Dental Public Health (EADPH) have collectively called for oral health to become part of everyday healthcare.
The paper was published in Periodontology 2000, and titled “Oral Health and Systemic Health Outcomes: A Call for Interdisciplinary Action”. The international consensus arose from the connection between healthier teeth and gums and overall health – the mouth is the gateway to the body and often its first line of defence against pathogens. The main push is for practical daily steps, such as effective plaque removal, to be identified and for governments, health systems and health professionals to include oral health in prevention, professional education, routine care and public health policy.
Awareness of how oral health impacts the rest of the body has gained traction in recent years, with dental professionals being able to explain to patients why consistent oral hygiene is more than just keeping the teeth clean.
Professor Moritz Kebschull, Past President of the EFP and the lead author of the paper, explained why a new approach to healthcare is so important:
“Oral diseases, heart diseases, diabetes and cancer share the same causes: sugar, tobacco, alcohol and disadvantage. It makes no sense to prevent them one at a time. What sets this consensus apart is who wrote it: periodontists and public-health dentists together with cardiologists and family doctors. The evidence is clearest for diabetes, where treating gum disease helps patients control their blood sugar.”
It is therefore essential that healthcare professionals are able to give clear, basic advice on oral prophylaxis outside of just the dental practice. This includes brushing twice a day, cleaning the interdental spaces and attending regular dental appointments.
The paper’s other important conclusions are:
For other health disciplines, the key takeaways are that oral health must be included in broader prevention and health strategies; oral health education needs strengthening across professions; behavioural, social and commercial factors that contribute to oral and other noncommunicable diseases must be addressed; and inequalities in access to prevention and care must be reduced.
The paper reflects the global push needed to reduce oral disease and improve international health standards. It is a massive aim, but it starts with something as small as a toothbrush. From this perspective, it is certainly achievable.
> Since you’re here, why not read about the impact of sugar rations 70 years on?
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