Dental Hygiene Visits and Overall Health During COVID-19

It’s been over a 12 months since all of us started residing in our COVID-19 impressed modified actuality. As trade professionals, we all know the significance of standard dental hygiene appointments and we’ve got a accountability to make sure our sufferers are defending their oral well being.

In a latest survey performed by the CDHA, it was discovered that 6 in 10 Canadians haven’t seen their dental hygienist since March 2020.

As you recognize, there’s a sturdy connection between oral well being and the remainder of the physique. A mess of analysis exists on the hyperlink between periodontitis and systemic well being issues.

With out correct oral hygiene {and professional} care, defences towards micro organism are diminished, cavities can develop, and gum illness can take maintain. Over time, this could exacerbate underlying situations, and even contribute to heart problems, diabetes, or stroke.

Now, greater than ever, it is very important have a powerful immune system to struggle off viruses and infections, and but sufferers do not make that connection again to dental hygiene.
Now we have an obligation of care to make sure our sufferers perceive the significance of being seen for his or her skilled cleanings.

Why are sufferers not preserving their dental hygiene appointments?
Surprisingly, the primary motive shouldn’t be as a consequence of considerations about doable publicity to COVID-19. The highest motive sufferers cited for not preserving their dental hygiene go to is that they view it as one thing that may be postpone. In different phrases, they don’t acknowledge the numerous position it performs of their well being and well-being.

What does this inform us?
This tells us that we as dental professionals have a possibility to do a greater job educating sufferers on the connection between oral well being and systemic well being, in order that sufferers perceive how vital it’s to maintain their dental hygiene appointments.

What can we do about it?
Closing this information hole requires constant and frequent communication with sufferers throughout all roles inside our practices in an effort to be efficient.

There are easy, efficient methods you could incorporate into your practices right this moment to advertise the significance of dental hygiene visits.

Dentistry performs a basic position within the general well being of our sufferers. Serving to our sufferers perceive the significance of dental hygiene can solely result in constructive outcomes for each sufferers and practices.

In regards to the Writer

Dr. Baluta graduated from the College of Manitoba, School of Dentistry in 1987 and is proud to have spent 30 years training in his house city of Winnipeg, with 28 of these years as proprietor of Odyssey Dental Care positioned in Transcona. He’s a Member of the Canadian Dental Affiliation, Manitoba Dental Affiliation, Academy of Common Dentistry, and the Worldwide Affiliation of Orthodontics. Dr. Baluta is a Scientific Teacher at U of M School of Dentistry and a Chair of the Communications Committee on the Manitoba Dental Affiliation (MDA). He was the recipient of the President’s Award of Benefit from the MDA in 2017 for his long-term volunteer work and chairmanship of the Open Large program on the MDA.