Oral health is an essential part of a person's well‐being. Oral health is integrated into general physical condition as oral disease can affect systemic health, and vice versa.
The oral cavity is an essential part not only of the physical well-being but also of the person's social and psychological condition. The social conditions are affected by the person's appearance as well as their speech. A warm smile will effect a positive impression on others, and obviously, the ability to articulate speech is essential to communication with others.
All people are aware of their appearance and their self‐image may be affected by their esthetics. Everyone has seen the person with a guarded smile because they are ashamed of the appearance of their teeth. Missing anterior teeth have long been associated with lack of intelligence or social awareness, although the correlation is inaccurate.
Oral health depends on the condition of the teeth and their supporting and surrounding structures. The ideal...
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Suggested Readings
Ash MM, Nelson S (eds) (2003) Wheeler's dental anatomy, physiology and occlusion, 8th edn. W.B. Saunders Company, New York
Gottehrer N, Donley T (2001) A current protocol for non‐surgical periodontal therapy. Dentistry Today 20 (July):76–81
Suggested Resources
Academy of General Dentistry. http://www.agd.org
American Academy of Periodontology. http://www.perio.org
American Dental Association. http://www.jada.ada.org
Centers for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/OralHealth/
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Best, E.E. (2008). Oral Health. In: Loue, S.J., Sajatovic, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-33754-8_325
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-33754-8_325
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-33753-1
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-33754-8
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