Oral hygiene is an important part of maintaining overall health.
s most people are probably aware, good oral hygiene is an important part of maintaining healthy teeth and gums. However, it is becoming ever clearer that quality of oral health is directly related to important symptoms pertaining to immunity, cancer and heart disease.
Oral hygiene is no longer as simple as brushing and flossing: Rinsing and scraping should also be part of one’s daily upkeep and should be reinforced by semi-annual examinations by a dentist.
Oral hygiene and HIV infection
Because of the inflammation and sores that accompany poor oral hygiene, risk for HIV infection and other STDs increases during oral sex because of the increased likelihood of exposure to open wounds, bodily fluids, infections and compromised immune systems.
In a person with a normal immune system, the mouth is home to at least 600 different types of bacteria at any given moment, making it one of the places on the body most susceptible to infection. In someone with a compromised immune system, that number increases.
Some of these species of bacteria are friendly and prevent such infections as thrush. However, others are deleterious to health. For this reason a balance must be maintained. The mouth must be healthy; however, healthy in this instance is not sterile.
Whereas good overall oral hygiene can reduce your risk of contracting HIV, it should be noted that brushing and flossing directly before oral sex will actually increase your risk because of the micro-abrasions that can occur.
It should also be noted that using mouth rinse directly before or after oral sex will also increase your risk because it removes the protective substances that occur naturally in your mouth. Since the mouth is the point of contact for so many potential infections, the body has devised methods for keeping them at bay. Mouthwash removes most of them. A good rule of thumb is to brush, floss, scrape and rinse 30-60 minutes before and after encounters.
For those living with HIV/AIDS, proper oral hygiene becomes particularly important in order to reduce the risk of developing oral infections that can quickly become more serious problems. Not only is the risk of necrotizing periodontitis, thrush, severe canker sores and opportunistic oral cancers elevated, some HIV medications reduce salivary flow. Drymouth is directly related to a significant increase in tooth decay, gum disease and oral bacterial infections.
Oral hygiene and cancer
It has been suggested that opportunistic cancers can enter the body through oral infections. If this is accurate, it is clearly important to maintain a healthy mouth. Brushing and flossing daily keep plaque and tartar to a minimum, thus reducing the risk of infections or inflammation. Scraping removes food particles that collect on the surface of the tongue and decay. Rinsing kills germs that are left behind.
As mentioned, bear in mind that the mouth has natural defenses, including saliva, mucous and helpful bacteria, that require time to restore themselves after a cleaning.
Oral hygiene and heart disease
Taking care of your mouth is good for your heart. This might seem strange at first but it becomes clear if the body is regarded as a compartmentalized ecosystem unto itself. Let’s say a pollutant enters a river at one point, although the cause may at first go unnoticed, sickness and contamination downstream will follow. In this metaphor oral bacteria are the pollutant, the circulatory system is the river and the heart is the contaminated site downstream.
In sub-gingival plaque (plaque and tartar below the gum line) there is an especially high concentration of bacteria. These bacteria release toxins that cause inflammations in the soft tissues around them. These inflammations can become open mouth sores allowing the toxins to enter the bloodstream.
These same toxins also cause inflammation in arteries. The arteries of the heart are a particular concern because when enough toxins reach them they swell closed. Once this happens a heart attack occurs.
The Journal of Periodontology coordinated a study in 2005 that showed a direct link between oral disease and heart disease. Participants with high levels of oral bacteria who had not had heart attacks showed increased risk factors for heart disease. Participants who had had heart attacks were also shown to have a much higher chance of also having oral infections.
If these connections weren’t enough to confirm a link between oral and cardiac health, DNA from the oral bacteria was found in the arteries and hearts of many participants, proving that the toxins generated in the mouth had reached the heart.
Most people are shocked to learn that individuals with oral infections are 300 percent more likely to also have cardiovascular conditions compared to those who maintain optimum oral health.
It’s obvious that taking care of one’s teeth is of the utmost importance — especially for those already predisposed to immunodeficiency, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Through daily cleaning and semi-annual checkups you will lower your risk for some very dangerous health conditions and help maintain your overall wellness.
Jack Kirven holds an MFA in Dance from UCLA and a national certification in personal fitness training through NASM.
— Q-Notes’ “Health and Wellness” column rotates between physical fitness, spirituality, green living and medical wellness .
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