The Oral health and dental care in Australia: key facts and figures 2011 report released last month found that among those adults with natural teeth, a whopping 29 per cent of people aged 25 to 44 had untreated decay – a telltale sign not everyone’s getting out their toothbrush twice a day. With the majority of people from this age-group growing up with access to proper education and tools for good oral hygiene, somewhere along the line we appear to have lost our way. We speak to four prominent dentists to discover why Australians are experiencing poor oral health and what new innovations are on the market to help prevent or treat teeth and mouth problems.
Key statistics:
- Nearly one quarter of Australian adults aged 18 and older suffer from moderate and severe periodontis.*
- Around 15 per cent of adults have experienced toothache in the previous 12 months.**
- 25 per cent of adults reported feeling uncomfortable about their dental appearance.**
The trend towards bad dental habits
Good oral hygiene is necessary to maintain a healthy mouth,” says Sydney dentist and Oral-B spokesperson Dr Stella Karakasi. This involves effective, mechanical removal of bacterial plaque from the teeth and from between the teeth every day. Teeth should be brushed twice a day, with once-daily cleaning of the spaces between the teeth with floss or an interdental brush.”
Australian Dental Association chairman Dr Peter Aldritt says there has been emerging evidence that not everybody is brushing their teeth twice a day. We are seeing a larger number of people who are only brushing their teeth once a day. And this seems to be a habit that is creeping into young children as well.” And the suggestion children are neglecting their teeth-cleaning duties is hardly unfounded. According to a study by the Victorian Department of Health, tooth decay is over five times more prevalent than asthma among children.
The Macquarie St Centre for Implant Aesthetic Dentistry's Dr David Dunn says another issue is that people are not brushing their teeth for long enough. They need to brush for a sufficient amount of time and that is for at least two minutes,” reveals Dr Dunn. Because we’re busy, we don’t brush for long enough and we tend to scrub which can cause damage to both the gums and abrasion or wearing away of the teeth.”
With oral health the second-most expensive disease group in Australia, regular dental check-ups are recommended to maintain good oral health. In 2010, 64 per cent of people aged over five visited a dentist in the previous year, according to the Oral health and dental care in Australia report.
How it impacts on general health
Apart from the obvious problems poor oral hygiene causes including tooth decay, tooth loss, cavities, periodontal (gum) disease and halitosis (bad breath), it can also play host to a range of other issues. Unhealthy teeth and gums can result in overall ill health, so taking care of teeth and gums is an important part of personal health management,” reveals Dr Karakasi.
Dentartistry principal dentist Dr Sandra Short explains that, in your mouth, we have a lot of bacteria, viruses and microbes so our body is constantly having to fight infection from the mouth. It’s very important to maintain it in a health state so you don’t have blood born bacteria or microbes that could travel to other parts of the body and set up serious life-threatening infections.”
So what are some of these serious infections? Periodontal disease has been linked with diabetes, low birth weight in children, cardio-vascular disease – so there’s other generalised health risks associated with leaving plaque or bacteria in our mouth,” says Dr Dunn. Other health risks associated with poor oral hygiene include malnutrition from sensitive teeth placing restrictions on your diet and oral cancer. Oral cancer is on the rise in Australia. Every day in Australia, about four people are diagnosed with oral cancer,” reveals Dr Aldritt.
The latest innovations
While the future might look grim for our teeth, there is a range of new innovations to help either prevent or fix problems associated with poor oral hygiene. One such innovation is laser dentistry, which Dr Karakasi says is beneficial because it offers a much less invasive alternative to many procedures. The light energy that is emitted from lasers results in a shortened and almost painless healing period and it can be used in many dental applications including fillings.”
New to the market is Cad Cam technology (Computed Assisted Design/Computer Assisted Manufacture) that allows for the design and fabrication of dental restorations (such as inlays, onlays and crowns) that resemble the look and feel of natural teeth. Your tooth is scanned rather than a conventional impression being taken. A custom restoration is then designed on the computer, prepared by a milling unit and then placed in your mouth the same day,” says Dr Karakasi.
Dr Karakasi also believes Intra Oral Cameras are an important innovation added to the dentistry industry. These cameras provide dentists with quality imaging equipment that can be used for patient education and improved dentist-patient communication. The small cameras are used in patients' mouths to provide clear images that can help in the detection and prevention of oral health problems.”
One of the most innovative procedures that Dr Short has come across in the last 20 years of dentistry is a treatment she calls Bridge on 4. Only a few practices in Australia are able to do this procedure, taught in Portugal by the developer of the technique Dr Paulo Malo. Bridge on 4 is a cost effective, advanced technique where a whole arch of fixed teeth is supported by only four implants. This treatment can be used in either the upper or lower jaw to support an immediate fixed bridge that looks, feels and functions similar to natural teeth in 3-5 days. I believe it’s going to be very popular in the future and more and more dentists are going to be offering it,” says Dr Short.
New products
Triumph with Smart Guide – A wireless display provides while-you-brush feedback to promote optimal brushing. The Smart Guide notifies you if you are brushing too hard, and rewards you with a 'smiley' face when you brush for the dentist recommended two minutes,” says Dr Karakasi.
Philips Sonicare brushes – The Phillips Sonicare uses a special sweeping side to side oscillation optimized at 260Hz. "The high speed bristle motion and amplitude, the design and shaping of the bristles and the special double scallop design of the brush head achieves a far superior removal of the biofilm than any other manual or electric toothbrush on the market today," says Dr Dunn.
Arm & Hammer Enamel Care – As we age, the enamel wears on our teeth leaving the surface of our teeth pitted and uneven, causing it to appear dull, yellowish and aged. This product contains dentist-grade liquid calcium which works to restore the surface enamel of your teeth by cleaning and filling in the tiny crevices.
– One of the first battery operated grocery toothbrushes that uses sonic technology, the Spinbrush Sonic not only cleans the surface of the teeth but pushes the water and toothpaste through the teeth cleaning hard to reach places and removing plaque and debris from between the teeth.
– This new product can be used daily to whiten teeth that have been affected by common stains from tea, coffee, red wine and smoking.
* National Survey of Adult Oral Health in 2004-06
** Oral health and dental care in Australia: key facts and figures 2011