talkhealth Blog

There are new findings which support something that dental professionals have suspected for a long time – infections in the mouth can cause problems in other parts of the body.

Problems which may be caused or made worse by poor dental health include heart disease, strokes, diabetes, giving birth to a premature or low-birth-weight baby and respiratory (lung) disease…. Just to name a few!

If you are serious about your health – and your teeth – you will need to exercise, eat a healthy, balanced diet and keep to a normal body weight. Our three simple rules for oral health will not only keep your mouth healthy, but they will keep your body healthy too:

• Brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste
• Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks
• Visit the dentist regularly, as often as they recommend

 

Originally posted in British Dental Health Foundation Blog: What problems could my dental health cause?

Oral Health Foundation

The Oral Health Foundation is a charity that works to improve oral health by providing education, advice, and support to millions of people every year, changing lives for the better. Our mission is to support others in achieving a healthier life through better oral health. Our vision is to live in a world where everybody has a healthy mouth and is free of dental disease. Poor oral health can have a harmful and devastating effect on a person’s life – both for their physical health and mental wellbeing. We are determined to help more people achieve good oral health and have a better quality of life. Sadly, oral disease remains common, across the life course. We are taking the challenge to reduce the harm caused by poor oral health and the responsibility to create a healthier future for everybody. We do this because we believe that everybody deserves to have good oral health. To make sure this happens, by 2024, we will:

• Work towards decreasing the prevalence of oral disease across communities.
• Increase the number of people accessing our help and information services.
• Diversify our range of resources to reach more communities.
• Successfully campaign for policies which help people achieve healthier lives.
• Generate new and nurture existing income streams that enable us to deliver our charitable objectives.

We are going to achieve success by:

• Running awareness campaigns like National Smile Month and Mouth Cancer Action Month.
• Giving anybody who needs it direct support through our Dental Helpline.
• Influencing policy on subjects like dental access, sugar, and tobacco.
• Providing consumer advice on oral health care products and working alongside manufacturers to make sure products do what they claim to do.
• Creating resources and information that communicates positive oral health messages.
• Working alongside others who share our passion for health and wellbeing.

To find out more about us, visit our website at https://www.dentalhealth.org/