The Digestive (Gastrointestinal) System and Its Disorders
Walter F. Stanaszek, Mary J. Stanaszek, Robert J. Holt, Steven Strauss in Understanding Medical Terms, 2020
The most commonly encountered disease of the teeth is plaque, an accumulation of oral microorganisms and their products that adhere to the teeth and is not readily removed. Tooth decay, or dental caries, is a destructive process of loss of calcium of the tooth enamel resulting in continued destruction of enamel and dentin with cavitation of the tooth. Malocclusion refers to irregular alignment of the teeth that can cause periodontal disease. Diseases of the periodontal structures include gingivitis, inflammation of the gingivae or gums; alveolitis, inflammation of a tooth socket; and alveolalgia or dry socket, a painful secondary infection of the socket following tooth extraction. Periodontitis is a term for a slowly progressive inflammation extending from the gingiva and resulting in destruction of alveolar bone and periodontal membrane.
An Introduction to Bioactivity via Restorative Dental Materials
Mary Anne S. Melo in Designing Bioactive Polymeric Materials for Restorative Dentistry, 2020
Globally, millions of people suffer from toothache due to tooth cavities and often permanent tooth loss. Dental caries, also known as tooth decay is a biofilm-dependent infectious disease that damages teeth by loss of minerals and presents high incidence around restorative polymeric fillings (tooth-colored fillings) (Askar et al. 2020). Untreated caries results in severe pulpal pathologies, which proceeds to tooth loss because the dental enamel cannot regenerate. Also, dental caries is highly prevalent among the elderly population due to unhealthy dietary habits and poor oral hygiene. According to the World Dental Federation, approximately 3.9 billion individuals are affected by dental caries annually, which affects almost half of the world’s population (Martins et al. 2017; Edelstein 2006).
Chemical hazards *
Jamie Bartram, Rachel Baum, Peter A. Coclanis, David M. Gute, David Kay, Stéphanie McFadyen, Katherine Pond, William Robertson, Michael J. Rouse in Routledge Handbook of Water and Health, 2015
Adverse health effects are seen with both acute and long term exposure to elevated levels of fluoride. Acute toxicity is rare and usually due to accidental water contamination, fire or explosions. While initial acute toxicity may manifest in gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and gastric distress (Ayoob and Gupta, 2006), the most detrimental effects are those on the skeletal system. The skeletal system is the primary site of accumulation in the body, allowing for the beneficial effects of fluoride in tooth decay prevention. Yet over-accumulation may result in irreversible dental fluorosis, or even the more serious skeletal fluorosis. Dental fluorosis manifests at concentrations in water between 1 and 3 mg/L and is indicated by hypocalcification, striations or stains on teeth. Skeletal fluorosis may occur with levels of 3–6 mg/L of fluoride (WHO, 2004) in water, leading to hardening and calcification of the bones which makes them more brittle, an increased risk of fracture, improper accumulation of bone tissue in and around joints, and in the most severe cases ossification of ligaments and cartilage (Meenakshi and Maheshwari, 2006).
Assessment of oral health knowledge and challenges in oral hygiene practices among homeless adults in Jalan Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur
Published in Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 2022
Nor Haliza Mat-Baharin, Nor Azura Ahmad-Tarmidzi, Erma Fazira Muhammad, Nurul Najwa Md-Yusuf
In the assessment of general health among the homeless population, dental health should also be included due to its remarkable effect on the quality of life. Homeless people were found to have poor oral hygiene and high prevalence of dental caries and periodontal diseases compared with the general population (Chi & Milgrom, 2008; Figueiredo et al., 2013). Dental caries (or dental cavity or tooth decay) is a common oral disease due to acid attack on the tooth surface that causes the destruction of dental hard tissues (Selwitz et al., 2007), whereas periodontal or gum disease is an oral disease that affects the tooth-supporting structures, causing bleeding gums and wobbly tooth (Rose et al., 2004). These diseases are the most common type of oral diseases worldwide. In Kuala Lumpur, the dental screening during community services done in Jalan Chow Kit reveals that 95% of the patients attending the dental community service require dental treatment particularly dental restorations (Tarmidzi et al., 2017).
Novel lab-on-a-disk platforms: a powerful tool for molecular fingerprinting of oral and respiratory tract infections
Published in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 2021
Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are communicable, bacteria- or virus-borne diseases [1] which, especially in acute phase, can progress rapidly and lead to hospitalizations, complications or even death, while some of them lead to epidemic outbreaks. In any case, they require urgent handling. Oral infections, in particular referring to the bacteria-borne caries and periodontitis, are non-communicable diseases. Caries affects the hard tissue of the teeth causing tooth decay, while periodontitis affects the tissues that surround and support the teeth (gums), leading to tooth loss [2]. Both caries and periodontitis are treatable, though not life-threatening to the degree of RTIs. However, especially periodontitis has been shown to be related to systemic disorders such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases [3].
Effectiveness of the ICCMS caries management system for children: a 3-year multicentre randomised controlled trial
Published in Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 2022
Stefania Martignon, Andrea Cortes, Luis Fernando Gamboa, Sofia Jácome-Liévano, Maria Cristina Arango-De-la-Cruz, Olga Lucia Cifuentes-Aguirre, Natalia Fortich-Mesa, Ketty Ramos-Martínez, Johanna Sanjuán-Acero, Lizelia Alfaro, Lofthy Mejía, Margarita Usuga-Vacca
Historically, conventional clinical management of dental caries has focussed on restoration of cavitated caries lesions (tooth decay) combined with population-level preventive measures [1]. This Conventional caries management system (CCMS) is standard care within Colombian dental services [2]. However, current evidence suggests focussing on long-term health, specifically on the preservation of tooth structure, maintaining sound teeth as sound, and controlling caries progression from initial caries stages [1]. Caries management programmes focussing on non-operative approaches have been able to demonstrate better effectiveness in controlling caries progression in schoolchildren [3] and adults [4] than conventional approaches, and in avoiding dental pain/infection in young children [5]. Consequently, Colombian dental schools agreed in 2013 on a consensus for undergraduates’ cariology teaching curriculum with a more preventive/minimally interventive focus [6].
Related Knowledge Centers
- Acid
- Bacteria
- Dental Abscess
- Dentin
- Tooth Enamel
- Cementum
- Tooth
- Periodontal Disease
- Tooth Loss
- Hard Tissue