Male orthodontist with glasses conversing with female patient as she sits in the appointment chair

Oral health conditions

Review information on oral health issues. This article provides an overview of the causes and mechanisms behind oral health conditions, discusses the impact on patients’ quality of life and breaks down the gold standard guidelines on diagnosis and management. Refresh your memory on topics like sensitivity, enamel erosion and gum health, to help ensure your patients receive proper care. Continue reading for more details on oral health issues.

Oral health conditions

Sensitivity

Dentin hypersensitivity is a common and often underdiagnosed oral health condition.¹ Sufferers describe experiencing a short, sharp pain while eating, drinking, brushing their teeth or breathing cold air, which has a significant impact on their quality of life.²

Enamel erosion

Enamel erosion is a progressive, multifactorial oral health issue that may have lasting effects.³ Enamel is equipped to respond to daily acid challenges; however, frequent and prolonged acid exposure can lead to weakened enamel and progressive demineralization.³ Changes in diet and increasing life expectancy mean that enamel erosion is becoming an increasingly significant challenge in the long-term management of dental health.⁴

Gum health

1 in 3 adults surveyed suffers from bleeding gums.⁵ If identified early, this oral health disease can often be reversed with daily brushing and flossing, and regular professional cleaning. If left untreated, however, gingivitis can progress, and in severe cases, result in tooth loss.⁶

Dry mouth

Saliva plays an important part in maintaining oral health and well-being.^7-9 Xerostomia, also commonly referred to as dry mouth, is an oral health issue caused by reduced saliva production.¹⁰ Dry mouth can negatively impact oral health;^7,11 if left untreated, patients may have up to a 3x greater risk of cavities in the long term.¹²

Denture care

Teeth impact how we all look and feel, and this influence remains true for ~12% of the US adult population who wear dentures.¹³

Each patient’s experience with dentures will be different. Individual needs surrounding medical concerns, physical and psychological factors, and patient adaptation to dentures may affect how dentures perform.^14-18

Halitosis

Halitosis, or bad breath, is a problem some patients face. Halitosis can be a source of embarrassment for patients. In worse cases, halitosis may even trigger anxiety. Negative emotional impacts aside, there are other reasons why treating halitosis is necessary.