Facts and figures on the impact of Gum Health
Evidence of how periodontal health improves general health and medical costs
Corona Virus – Dental Update
Issue Date: 15/6/2020
Dear All
Life Dental & Wellbeing is now open.
We are not running at full capacity yet as we are phasing our return to the new normal so please be patient if you are struggling to get through to us or waiting to hear back from you about an appointment. As expected, the way we operate will be a bit different but please do be reassured that we will continue to look after you and your oral health in a safe clinical environment.
If you have a dental appointment in the coming weeks we will be contacting you the day before to talk through the appointment procedure and ensure that you are happy to attend.
If you have a dental emergency please call the practice during normal working hours and we will endeavour to help you, however please be aware that there are some restrictions on the treatments we can undertake during the current Alert Status. Outside normal working hours and at weekends or on Bank Holidays please call the practice for further information that will guide you through the Out of Hours service.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Ben Pearson and the team
At the recent Europerio9 meeting in Amsterdam the European Federation of Periodontology stated that:
Oral health represents:
Between 0.5-1% of GDP and about 10% of medical expenses.
They also set out a number of facts and figures that we should all be taking note of and helping do something about:
- Periodontitis (gum disease) is the most common chronic inflammatory disease of humans.
- 8 out of 10 people aged 35 and over suffer from some kind of gum complaint.
- Periodontal diseases are the most common conditions to afflict us europeans but are amongst the least acknowledged.
- Gum disease can cause tooth loss and affect the rest of the body.
- Periodontal diseases do not tend to cause pain or intense discomfort. The most frequent symptom is bleeding gums.
- Periodontal diseases represent a major cause of expenditure in the adult and elderly population.
- Periodontitis is significantly and independantly associated with the major chronic inflammatory diseases of ageing, including atherogenic cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease, obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Severe periodontitis adversely affects blood-sugar levels in non-diabetes subjects and blood-sugar control in diabetes patients.
- The worse the periodontitis, the worse the diabetes complications (heart & kidney).
- Overall, studies show that successful periodontal treatment improves diabetes outcomes.
- Severe periodontal disease imparts significantly elevated risk for coronary artery (heart) disease.
Treatment of periodontal disease
Treatment of periodontal disease to a defined end-point reduces annual medical costs in patients diagnosed with:
- Type-2 diabetes by 40%
- Heart disease (coronary artery disease) by 11%
- Stroke patients (cerebrovascular disease) by 41%
Benefits of treating periodontal disease
The corresponding reductions in hospital admissions are:
- 39% in diabetes patients
- 29% in heart disease patients
- 21% in stroke patients
If you have any concerns about your oral health please do give us a call at Life Dental & Wellbeing, Exeter Dental Practice - we are here to help you keep your own teeth for as long as possible.
