Michigan Dental Association Launches New TV Ad Campaign to Educate the Public About the Link Between Oral Health and Overall Health

Michigan Dental Association Launches New TV Ad Campaign to Educate the Public About the Link Between Oral Health and Overall Health

LANSING, Mich., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The 5,900-member Michigan Dental Association will launch a new campaign to alert the public that a healthy mouth is vital to a healthy body. The new campaign, "Want a healthy body? Start with a healthy mouth," kicks off June 27 with two television commercials that will air statewide, and will inform the public of some startling new research, including connections between dental health and birth complications in expectant mothers.

To view the commercials and learn more about the campaign, go to http://www.smilemichigan.com/ and click on the public section. Each MDA member dentist will have patient education brochures and posters available in their offices.

"More and more research shows that there is an important connection between oral health and overall health," according to Josef F. Kolling, DDS, MS, president of the MDA. "Since the condition of your mouth mirrors the condition of your body as a whole, your dentist may be the first health care provider to see signs of a health problem," according to Kolling. "If something unusual is discovered, a follow-up with your physician may result in early detection and successful treatment of a more serious medical problem."

Kolling says, "The dentist may see symptoms on the lips, tongue and gums that can warn of trouble in your general health. Your dentist can screen for oral cancer, and may also observe oral symptoms of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and pregnancy complications."

Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the U.S. and about 25 percent of people diagnosed with oral cancer have none of the traditional risk factors, such as the use of tobacco products or drinking alcohol. African Americans in Detroit have one of the highest rates of oral cancer in the country and have the highest mortality rate due to oral cancer among all race and gender groups. In addition, 46 percent of all deaths related to oral cancer in Michigan are found in the Detroit/Wayne County area.

Dentists can now use a new tool to detect oral cancer in its earliest stages. The brush biopsy allows the dentist to scrape cells from the tissue and send them to the lab for analysis. According to Kolling, "This simple screening device represents a breakthrough in the fight against cancer and is expected to aid in the early diagnosis of oral cancer and improve the survival rate."

Pregnancy Complications

Research shows that pregnant women with severe gum disease have seven times the risk of delivering a low-birthweight baby. The National Institutes of Health reports that as many as 18 percent of the 250,000 premature low- weight infants born in the country each year may be the result of inflammatory gum disease, the same percentage explained by cigarette smoking. These pregnancy complications may be partially preventable through improved oral health during pregnancy.

Heart Disease

A study released in February and published in the journal Circulation shows that older adults who have higher proportions of four gum-disease- causing bacteria in their mouths also tend to have thicker carotid arteries, a strong predictor of stroke and heart attack.

Other predictors of heart disease include inflammation of the gums around the teeth due to improper oral hygiene, cavities and missing teeth.

Diabetes

Your dentist may also observe oral symptoms of diabetes and can help to manage its oral effects. Diabetics tend to get gum disease at a rate three to four times higher than people without diabetes. Diabetes can cause other oral problems, such as dry mouth, a burning of the mouth or tongue, a fungal infection called thrush that causes painful white patches in the mouth, or a distinct breath odor.

According to Kolling, "Your oral health is an important part of your overall health and your dentist should be considered a key member of your personal health care team." While Kolling stresses the importance of regular oral exams, he says, "Dental visits should never replace the care of your physician."

The bottom line: A regular oral exam allows your dentist to keep your mouth in first-class shape and watch for any changes in your oral health or signs that may indicate problems elsewhere in the body.

"Moving from our 'Sip all day, get decay' campaign to a more serious topic, we wanted to make sure that our message would resonate with the target audience," according to MDA Committee on Public Relations chair, Steven Fegan, DDS, MS. "We were pleased to learn, through our focus group research, that most of the people felt the campaign presented important new information."

One participant said, "This is appealing because it says to see your dentist regularly for your overall health. Early diagnosis by the dentist can alert you to other health issues."

Another comment: "This makes sense that your oral health is connected to your overall health. It's like the song that says, the shinbone's connected to the knee bone and so on. It's all connected!"

Did You Know?

* More than 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental-related illnesses.

* Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease; five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.

* Gum disease affects more than 75 percent of the population.

* Employed adults lose more than 164 million hours of work each year due to dental disease or dental visits.

Headquartered in Lansing, the Michigan Dental Association has more than 5,900 members in 26 local dental societies and two dental schools. Since its founding in 1856, the MDA has sought to educate the public, enhance its members' ability to provide high quality care and to promote the science and art of dentistry. For more information about the MDA call 800-589-2632 or log on to http://www.smilemichigan.com/ .

Source: Michigan Dental Association

CONTACT: Tom Kochheiser of Michigan Dental Association, +1-517-230-9828, tkoch@michigandental.org

Web site: http://www.smilemichigan.com/

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