The role and function of the dentist

in maintaining the general health of the human body

Assistant Professor Sopho

Puturidze
Oral health is an important part of general health,
while affecting a person's quality of life throughout their life
 Common risk factors

Among the main risk factors for chronic diseases are:

tobacco
Malnutrition, especially high sugar intake
Lack of physical activity
Excessive intake of alcohol

The mentioned risk factors also cause oral diseases.

 In recent decades:

developed preventive measures,

Restoration technique
Dental materials

Edentulism is a significant problem worldwide

due to its high prevalence and associated limited opportunities
The development of edentulism is influenced by various somatic diseases:

Hypertension, asthma, arthritis, angina.

Rheumatoid arthritis and edentulism share

common genetic and environmental factors
Oral health affects many important human abilities:

chewing
sense of taste
facial expression
speaking
psycho-social behaviors
the quality of life
Edentulism is not an independent cause of death,
but it negatively affects a number of important opportunities,
including:

in the nature of food

to talk
facial expression
on social integration
Oral health affects
a person's self-confidence and social integration.
in individuals with edentulism

Along with the decrease in vertical dimensions,

the chin is shifted forward
The face has a progeny view
develops the so-called “elderly progeny"

It is noted:
Drooping of the corners of the lips
Reduction of lip muscle tone
Thinning of red lipstick
Deepening of the nasolabial fold
The patient at rest has unhappy face appearance
Oral condition, among other factors,
is one of the important factors that influence the eating habits.

Decreased chewing power is one of the risk factors for eating disorders
The lack of teeth and the presence of dentures
lead to the restriction of the intake of foods that are difficult to chew,
such as raw vegetables, fruits and meat.

Inadequate nutrition is a big problem for the health of the body

Epidemiological studies confirm that
intake of fruits and vegetables is important and
has a positive effect on human health.

The nature of food is an important factor determining health.

Prosthetic status is not the only factor that affects the eating hab

Even in the case of full dentures, it is possible to observe

irrational nutrition, due to habit, taste acquisition,
socio-economic status.
Loss of teeth leads to a decrease in the frequency of eating
raw fruits and vegetables.

As a result, serum beta-carotene, folic acid, and vitamin C levels are

markedly lower in edentulous individuals due to malnutrition.

Inadequate dentures lead to deterioration of nutritional status

Maintaining oral health in the elderly is important
so that they can eat healthy foods, as eating disorders affect their
overall health and quality of life.

Adequate nutrition is especially important in the elderly.

Adequate nutrition in the elderly is extremely important

for maintaining general health
Nutrition as a method of treatment is one of the most
important issues in the treatment and prevention of somatic diseases.
In individuals with edentulism, chewing power is reduced,
which leads to restriction of intake of hard-to-chew foods.

The chewing ability is significantly related with the number

of teeth, with the quality of the prosthesis and
Oral health-related quality of life
According to some studies, financial and socioeconomic status
influence food choices more than dental status
According to various studies, orthopedic treatment has a great impact
on the general health of the body.

Masticatory abilities influence oral health-related quality of life in

individuals with removable partial dentures.
Epidemiological studies to determine the correlation between
oral health and general health are conducted all over the world.
Unsatisfactory oral hygiene conditions can lead to abscess,
pain, bacteremia, septicemia and chronic diseases,
complex somatic diseases, such as diseases of the cardiovascular system
and stroke.
According to various scientific studies, local periodontal
diseases are independent risk factors:
Osteoporosis of
diabetes
Diseases of the cardiovascular system
Kidney diseases
dementia
Cancer
lung infections
Erectile dysfunctions
premature birth
Nutritional disorders
Oral diseases are associated with rheumatoid arthritis
and immune system problems.

Data from various studies show the possible impact of

periodontal diseases on dementia and cognitive impairment.

According to some studies, periodontal diseases may have some

influence on Alzheimer's disease
Inflammatory processes of the periodontium, as a result of
worsening of local gingivitis, may lead to bone destruction
and tooth loss.

Tooth loss is one of the most important factors affecting

the quality of life.
It has been established that there are some kind of correlations
between diabetes and periodontal diseases

Oral hygiene and the course of periodontal diseases are relatively

difficult in diabetic individuals.
However, there was no significant difference in the prevalence
of periodontal disease
The pain caused by dental caries affects the quality of life,
because the feeling of pain limits various types of physical activity.
According to some studies, pain of odontological origin
can be more complicated and cause physical,
psychological and social limitations

It eventually manifests itself in psychological infirmity,

especially in the elderly population.

Timely elimination of odontological pain is important

Complete oral hygiene does not mean only cleaning teeth and dentures.

Cleaning the tongue is a fairly simple procedure that can

improve the functioning of the digestive system
Oral health is considered one of the main factors in the
prevention of aspiration pneumonia,
as risk factors can be controlled in this way.
Plaque of teeth and dentures is a reservoir of respiratory pathogens,
elderly people with poor oral hygiene are at particular risk.

As a result of aspiration, oral microflora may enter the trachea or

lungs and cause inflammation.

The microflora of the oral cavity is responsible for the development

of pneumonia, and respiratory diseases can be prevented
by hygienic care of the oral cavity.
As a result of professional cleaning, it is possible to eliminate candida
and bacteria that colonize the oral cavity and are potential risk factors
for the development of pneumonia.

Also, one of the important aspects of prevention of aspiration

pneumonia is the normalization of saliva secretion
Aspiration pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in
hospitalized elderly patients.

However, the elderly have fewer opportunities to maintain satisfactory

oral hygiene and complete dental treatment, resulting in worsening
periodontitis, pain and an increase in the degree of tooth decay,
which ultimately leads to tooth loss.
Local infection in the periodontium may become an independent
risk factor for the development of cardiovascular system diseases.

Periodontal inflammation begins as a result of the action of pathogenic

bacteria accumulated in the gum area

Simple gingivitis can lead to bone destruction with corresponding

complications

It is manifested by shaking the tooth and subsequent extraction

• the body's local reaction to pathogens is expressed by the locally
produced inflammatory infiltrate.

• in the most difficult cases, the formation of a pathological pocket,

damage of the epithelium, then the transfer of microorganisms of
the mouth, bacterial endotoxins, bacterial antigens
and proinflammatory mediators to the blood circulation system.
Bone-joint diseases increase the relative chance of developing periodontal
disease,

Bone and joint diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis and

post-menopausal osteoporosis, are an important risk factor not only for
periodontal diseases, but also for the development of peri-implantitis.

Poor oral hygiene is positively correlated with gastroenterogenic diseases

• Some people have opportunities to get proper oral
treatment, they can replace loosed teeth with dental
implants or even with removable partial dentures.
• National health organizations should develop
policies and have defined goals to improve oral
health.
• The World Health Organization recommends the
development and implementation of appropriate
strategies in individual countries to improve the oral
health of the elderly population.
The prices and availability of dental services, as well as the attitude
of doctors, are closely related to the improvement of oral health.
Dentists should pay attention
• patient-centered solutions, diagnostic criteria and
stages of diagnosis
• To help patients and their families understand the
benefits of all types of tooth replacement and
treatment
• Dentists should prioritize replacing missing teeth with
dental implants.

• The rational use of this method of treatment helps to

improve the quality of life of an elderly patient.
• Dental caries and periodontal diseases are a major
public health problem in most countries.
• Epidemiological indicators of oral cavity diseases
show significant differences between regions
• The prevalence of tooth loss and oral problems
varies widely between regions of World Health
Organization, depends on national income
• Traditional oral self-care is common in various
African and Asian countries. While fluoridated
toothpastes are widely used in developed countries,
they are very rare in most developing countries
• Dental services are available in developed countries.
• The use of such services is low among older people.
• Lack of financial support from the government and/
or less integration of oral health into health systems
limits access to dental treatment for them
• According to data from different countries, oral
health promotion programs aimed at the health of
older persons are rare and this reflects the lacks of
the insurance systems.
• Although some countries have introduced oral
health promotion initiatives, there are currently few
population-based prevention and treatment
activities that focus specifically on older adults
worldwide.
• It is recommended that countries implement oral
health programs according to the needs of the
elderly. Relevant and measurable goals should be
set to improve their oral health.
• Common risk factors should be used in public
health interventions to prevent disease.
• Integration of oral health into national health
programs may be effective in improving the oral
status and quality of life of the population
• In order for the population of the country to
maintain oral health and a high quality of life, it is
important to encourage them and increase their
knowledge.
• One of the important strategies is to transfer the
necessary knowledge to the public so that they can
properly and fully take care of themselves and
prevent diseases.
Health education is considered to be one of the most important
strategies to adopt the habits needed to promote and maintain health
• Considering the presence of common rick-factors of
chronic diseases and oral diseases, the World
Health Organization recommends combining the
prevention and treatment of oral diseases with
somatic diseases in health care programs.
Different programs were developed in Georgia, promoting the health
of the population of Georgia

• Stopping the increase in the incidence of diabetes,

• reducing premature deaths from diabetes,
• Reducing the morbidity, mortality and community spread of hepatitis
• C and tuberculosis
Thank you for attention!