The Aga Khan University (AKU) organised a seminar to celebrate World Oral Health Day on Wednesday. The seminar highlighted the importance of preventing mouth diseases through healthy oral practices.
“Teeth are an essential part of the human body and healthy teeth are vital for many reasons including chewing and speaking,” said Dr Faisal Qayyum, a consultant prosthodontist at AKU hospital. The most common oral diseases worldwide are dental cavities and gum disease.
Once teeth are lost, the spaces created can affect a person’s appearance and oral functions. Prosthodontic advancements such as dentures, bridges and implants provide solutions to these problems but oral hygiene is still very important and should be practised daily, he suggested.
Consultant Operative Dentistry Dr Robia Ghafoor focused on the oral health problems faced by people in Pakistan. “Bad breath, tooth decay, dental cavities and bleeding gums are not inevitable problems, but can be a result of environmental, social and lifestyle related factors,” she said, adding that, “Most people ignore dental cavities until it reaches the inner pulp tissue of the tooth, infecting the tooth and the bone.” The root canal treatment helps save and restore the dental health of such patients but the problem can be avoided.
Dr Robia stressed on how brushing twice a day, flossing daily, regular dental check-ups, eating healthy food and avoiding snacks and drinks that are high in sugar, can make a considerable difference.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2010.
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