Gum diseases and prevention
- Gingivitis and periodontitis are common gum diseases.
- Regular brushing with fluoridated toothpaste can help prevent gum diseases.
- Interdental cleaning is important for maintaining gum health.
- Tools like floss, tape, and interdental brushes can be used for interdental cleaning.
- Oral hygiene is not solely determined by the appearance of teeth.
Brushing guidelines
- General guidelines recommend brushing at least twice a day.
- Using a fluoridated toothpaste is recommended.
- Brushing before bedtime and after breakfast is suggested.
- Brushing removes only about 50% of plaque from the teeth's surface.
- Interdental cleaning is necessary to reach areas a toothbrush can't.
Interdental cleaning
- Interdental cleaning is as important as tooth brushing.
- It helps remove plaque from between the teeth.
- Floss, tape, and interdental brushes are tools for interdental cleaning.
- Each individual can choose the tool they prefer.
- Tooth brushing alone cannot effectively clean between the teeth.
Appearance and oral hygiene
- Oral hygiene is not solely related to having white or straight teeth.
- Stained or crooked teeth can still indicate a hygienic mouth.
- Tooth whitening treatments and orthodontics can improve the appearance of teeth.
- The focus should be on maintaining overall oral health.
- A healthy smile goes beyond the appearance of teeth.
Oral microbiome
- The oral microbiome plays a significant role in dental health.
- Research highlights the importance of the oral microbiome.
- Understanding the oral microbiome can lead to better oral health practices.
- Maintaining a balanced oral microbiome is crucial.
- Dental health is influenced by the state of the oral microbiome.
Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's oral cavity clean and free of disease and other problems (e.g. bad breath) by regular brushing of the teeth (dental hygiene) and adopting good hygiene habits. It is important that oral hygiene be carried out on a regular basis to enable prevention of dental disease and bad breath. The most common types of dental disease are tooth decay (cavities, dental caries) and gum diseases, including gingivitis, and periodontitis.
General guidelines for adults suggest brushing at least twice a day with a fluoridated toothpaste: brushing before going to sleep at night and after breakfast in the morning. Cleaning between the teeth is called interdental cleaning and is as important as tooth brushing. This is because a toothbrush cannot reach between the teeth and therefore only removes about 50% of plaque from the surface of the teeth. There are many tools available for interdental cleaning which include floss, tape and interdental brushes; it is up to each individual to choose which tool they prefer to use.
Sometimes white or straight teeth are associated with oral hygiene. However, a hygienic mouth can have stained teeth or crooked teeth. To improve the appearance of their teeth, people may use tooth whitening treatments and orthodontics.
The importance of the role of the oral microbiome in dental health has been increasingly recognised. Data from human oral microbiology research shows that a commensal microflora can switch to an opportunistic pathogenic flora through complex changes in their environment. These changes are driven by the host rather than the bacteria. Archeological evidence of calcified dental plaque shows marked shifts in the oral microbiome towards a disease-associated microbiome with cariogenic bacteria becoming dominant during the Industrial Revolution. Streptococcus mutans is the most important bacteria in causing caries. Modern oral microbiota are significantly less diverse than historic populations. Caries (cavities), for example, have become a major endemic disease, affecting 60-90% of schoolchildren in industrialised countries. In contrast, dental caries and periodontal diseases were rare in pre-Neolithic and early hominins.
oral hygiene (uncountable)
