Prevention is the best way to protect ourselves from many diseases but also to enjoy an excellent overall quality of our health, including dental health. The first thing to do is to adopt, from an early age, simple daily habits: the multi-day use of a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss, to avoid more serious and complex problems in the future, but also a dental check-up, which is the main prevention tool for better dental aesthetics. The specialists at the Humanitas Medical Care Dental Centers in Arese and Lainate confirm the importance of a schedule of check-ups that includes periodic checks, even in the absence of a specific problem. The objective? Prevention.
Dentists’ check-ups
According to data from Istat, in 2013 only 39% of Italians had carried out at least one dental check-up in the previous 12 months. One of the lowest data ever collected by the institution.
In more recent times, however, the trend for hygiene and dental aesthetics seems to have returned positive: this on the basis of data collected by the study EduCarie, conducted by AIC (Italian Academy of Conservation), during 2017. The study shows an increase in the number of patients who underwent check-ups during the period analyzed, even returning to pre-crisis levels: last year 56% of children and 52% of adults underwent at least one check-up, while 1 Italian out of 10 undertook a treatment plan structured over several sessions.
The specialists at the Humanitas Medical Care Dental Centers in Arese and Lainate confirm that they are obviously very positive results and it is important, in fact, that as many people as possible understand that check-ups and possible therapies are essential. In two respects: they are an effective tool for protecting the health of teeth, gums and the oral cavity in general immediately and, secondly, they are also the most important form of prevention for avoiding pathologies and complex problems generated in the future by the lack of prevention. Pathologies and problems that require invasive treatments and, not to be forgotten, often costly.
Children at the dentist: there is much more to do
Not only positive news, however: the AIC survey also collected several critical data, especially on the reduced awareness of Italians about the essential role of proper oral hygiene at all ages and the risks related to the lack of attention devoted to diseases such as caries, too often neglected.
One example: 1 in 2 parents is not yet aware of the fact that a diet that is too unbalanced in favor of sugars and ineffective oral hygiene habits at home are the main causes of the development of caries. In addition, 1 in 2 parents is convinced that milk tooth decay should not be cured.
These data confirm the need for a more consistent approach to dental health and aesthetics. Periodic visits are essential. There is no “standard interval” for dental check-ups and each person has his or her own physiology and characteristics which result, for example, in differences in the rate at which plaque and tartar are formed. In addition to this, there are also oral hygiene habits at home, which are different from person to person (and not always correct). For this reason, it is the dentist who can suggest one rather than two sessions a year to his patient with a check-up and tartar ablation. The periodic visits, in addition to creating an awareness of your state of health, serve to make known the means available today for good prevention and to intercept early any diseases.
