Dentistry

What is it?

According to WHO: dental caries (plaque turning free sugars into acids that damage teeth) and gum disease (the tissues surrounding the teeth, signs of which include bleeding and swollen gums and which may lead to tooth loss) are among the main oral diseases.

WHO figures: about 3.7 billion people with oral diseases, more than 1 billion cases of severe gum disease, 389,846 new cases of oral cancer and 188,438 deaths in 2022, complete tooth loss in about 7% of those aged 20 and over and 23% of those aged 60 and over, and about 1 billion people with tooth and mouth injuries.

Conditions it covers

Modifiable risk factors: smoking, alcohol, free sugars and poor oral hygiene, which are shared with noncommunicable diseases (WHO). WHO recommends exposure to fluoride through water and toothpaste (1,000 to 1,500 parts per million in toothpaste), brushing twice a day, a diet low in free sugars, and quitting tobacco.

Related pages on this site: the digestive system, the skeletal system, the immune system and type 2 diabetes (shared risk factors).

Common tests and procedures

Classification of the specialties: the ADA recognised five specialties in 1947 (oral surgery, orthodontics, paediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics), then oral pathology in 1949, dental public health in 1950, endodontics in 1963, oral and maxillofacial radiology in 1999, dental anaesthesiology in 2019, and oral medicine and orofacial pain in 2020. It defines a specialty as a field of practice that requires intensive study and extended clinical and laboratory experience beyond general training.

When to see one

WHO points out that the costs of oral care are often borne directly by the family and that oral care is often not included in national universal health coverage packages. Referral criteria for the narrower specialties are not read here.

Common questions