OCTOBER 17 — Oral hygiene is a part of the larger domain of self-care in Activities of Daily Living domain and is significantly connected to overall health and wellbeing. Daily living activities are the focus of Occupational therapists, the health specialists who would assess, intervene the barriers hindering these performances in vulnerable populations such as disabled children and adult. Oral hygiene is often neglected or receive less attention than the other activities of daily, that occupational therapists would focus on for their intervention to enable functional independence in people living with disease. A research oversea on long term care for older people reported only 16 per cent (of 413 in-patients) who received oral hygiene care as the focus were targeted to other non-oral aspects. Nevertheless, even in the ‘normal’ or healthy (undiagnosed with any pathology) population, oral hygiene care should essentially be promoted too.

Definition of oral hygiene

Most people would generally refer oral hygiene to ‘tooth brushing’ or keeping the mouth hygienic/clean. A scientific definition of oral hygiene care which is defined as daily plaque removal habits through tooth brushing, flossing, and rinsing, or the use of other oral hygiene aids for the prevention of plaque-related diseases. This is important as it focuses on plaque prevention rather than the act of just brushing teeth as assumed by the general public. Thus what and why are plaque-related disease important?

Dental plaque, dental caries, and systemic condition — the link?

Dental plaque is the mass of bacteria or the yellow-whitish bacterial deposits or biofilm occurring on the teeth or on hard oral tissues. This initially sticky colourless deposit, often becomes pale yellow or brown when it forms calculous between teeth, behind, in-front of teeth, and along the gumline, is a key contributor in the development of dental caries. Many oral pathologies are plaque-related. The common ones are periodontal disease, dental caries, and peri-implantitis and dental caries.