Nélio Veiga: "A reflection on our oral health"
On World Oral Health Day, we take a moment to reflect on the state of our oral health.
What does it mean to have oral health?
To begin with, the World Health Organization considers oral health to be "a state free from chronic pain in the oral cavity and face, from oral and throat cancer, from oral infections and sores, from periodontal disease, from dental caries, from tooth loss and other diseases and disorders that limit an individual's ability to chew, smile, speak and psychosocial well-being."
However, we are still faced with a cultural problem. Oral health is still very much undervalued in a society where many people only go to the dentist in emergency situations and where it is still considered "normal" for elderly people not to have teeth.
With the evolution of medicine and health literacy, it is no longer acceptable to have a considerable proportion of our population suffering from oral and facial pain or simply living without teeth.
Fortunately, we are noticing some differences in our society, especially among young people. Parents are starting to accompany their children to the dentist earlier, allowing more preventive rather than invasive treatments to be carried out, instead of going to the dentist "only when it hurts". However, there is still a lot to do!
It is imperative to create and multiply community interventions focused on oral health literacy. In order to maintain good levels of health, the population must have at their disposal the necessary information to develop healthy lifestyles and habits. It is at this point that it is essential that health professionals are increasingly present in the lives of each one and empower the communities they integrate in terms of health literacy.
Currently, the oral health professional must also focus on teaching and promoting health by applying primary prevention methods. This is the only way to reduce the risk and the consequent prevalence of oral diseases, favouring quality of life for as long as possible.
At the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, this work begins during the training of students in the Integrated Master's Degree in Dental Medicine. During their training, students have direct contact with the community and learn how to promote health among the population, from children to the elderly, not forgetting the user with special needs, and all the respective caregivers.
Thus, we can have health professionals, in this particular case in oral health, more responsible in their role as agents of change in society, focused on teaching what it is to have oral health and what should be done to maintain it.
If this is the path, we will have more happy and smiling people!