Poor Oral Health can Affect Physical and Mental Well-being

Poor oral health is linked to decreased quality of life, depression, hypertension, and cognitive decline, finds a new study.

Oral health is an important part of overall physical and psychological well-being. Poor oral health is linked to decreased quality of life, depression, hypertension, and cognitive decline, reports a new study.The findings of the study are published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Researchers interviewed more than 2,700 Chinese Americans aged 60 and older and found that nearly 50 percent of study participants reported experiencing tooth symptoms, 25.5 percent reported dry mouth. In the first study, those who reported tooth symptoms experienced declines in cognition and episodic memory, often precursors to dementia. In the second study, the researchers found that stress increased symptoms of dry mouth, leading to poorer overall oral health.

Diabetes and Dental Health
The oral health preventive strategies in individuals at risk for diabetes are important because they play a key role in oral diseases that affect dental care.

‘Maintaining Oral health is an essential part of overall wellness. ’
Read More..

"Racial and ethnic minorities are particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of poor oral health," said XinQi Dong, director of Rutgers University's Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research.

"Minorities have less access to preventive dental care that is further exacerbated by language barriers and low socioeconomic status. Older Chinese Americans are at particular risk for experiencing oral health symptoms due to lack of dental insurance or not visiting a dental clinic regularly."

According to Dong, the increasing oral health disease burdens among older Chinese immigrants point to the need for investigations of psychosocial factors due to the current emphasis on physical diseases and health behaviors in oral health.

Does Oral Health Affect Your Heart?
Oral health has been noted as the key factor before and after experiencing heart diseases. Maintaining good oral health can help prevent risks of heart diseases.

"Efforts must be made to increase social support to alleviate stress and the resulting dry mouth issues reported by our study participants," Dong continued. "These efforts can help preserve older adults' health and well-being and limit cognitive decline."

Key findings:

47.8 percent of older Chinese Americans reported having teeth symptoms; participants who reported teeth symptoms at baseline experienced their global cognition and episodic memory decline
18.9 percent of older Chinese Americans reported gum symptoms.
15.6 percent of older Chinese Americans reported teeth and gum symptoms.
25.5 percent of older Chinese Americans reported dry mouth.
More perceived stress was associated with higher odds of dry mouth.

Oral Health and AIDS - Introduction Treatment FAQs
AIDS has taken on massive proportions in modern times. It is estimated that over 15 million people are suffering from the disease and many more are harboring the dreaded Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

"These studies demonstrate the importance of examining immigrant oral health outcomes later in life to understand the specific type of outcomes of different cultural groups," said Dong.

"The studies further serve as a call to action for policymakers to develop programs aimed at improving oral health preventative and dental care services in this high-risk population. Darina Petrovsky, first author, added, "Examining current oral health practices among older Chinese Americans is crucial for developing culturally-tailored interventions to promote oral health and ultimately mitigate cognitive decline."

World Oral Health Day - 'Say Ahh: Act on the Mouth'
World Oral Health Day is observed annually on 20th March to raise awareness on the importance of oral health and dental hygiene to fight oral diseases such as tooth decay, gum disease, and oral cancer. The theme for 2019 is ‘Say Ahh: Act on the Mouth.’

"Poor oral health is a top concern among older Chinese Americans. In our study, the prevalence rate of dry mouth is followed by diabetes and heart disease. Our findings demonstrate the importance of studying the linkage between stress and dry mouth in this vulnerable population." said author Weiyu Mao, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of Nevada, Reno.

"Support from family and friends could be protective against dry mouth symptoms in relation to stress; however, the potential overload of such support could be detrimental to oral health outcomes among older Chinese Americans." Mao continued.

"Intervention strategies need to expand beyond the common risk factors, such as health conditions and health behaviors, and account for the psychosocial determinants, including stress and social support, to better promote oral health and reduce oral health disparities in this population."

"Our research raises critical awareness for dental and healthcare providers of the role of perceived stress in dry mouth symptoms," added Dong.

"Working collaboratively, dental, and healthcare providers can better identify oral health symptoms as risk factors of cognitive decline in this fast-growing vulnerable population. The primary focus should include promoting optimal oral health and improving the quality of life."

Source-Eurekalert