DN 5 Promote Oral health for individuals

One-to-one oral hygiene advice is an essential method of communication for adults, children young people, and older people to promote good oral health. With one-to-one or face-to-face interaction, healthcare professionals can ensure the presence of any dental caries or periodontal diseases in the patients. With this mode of communication, healthcare professionals can advise, motivate and make patients confident about the treatment (Gajic, et al., 2021).

The resource that has to be needed for this mode of communication is:

A phone call to the patients periodically or advising them to visit the healthcare center for a checkup is an intervention process. With frequent intervention, healthcare professionals can make people, both the older and younger populations, aware of the need for dental care and take treatment when necessary.

In, One-to-one advice, over the phone, or face-to-face interaction, healthcare professionals can provide information about the treatment plan and education, accessible, and empathetically. It can help the older as well as, the younger population to get optimal care and to feel encouraged and motivated to take care of oral health.

1. By maintaining the confidentiality of the information and personal data being shared by an individual. Proper consent between interviewee and interviewer who are involved in the communication, regarding maintaining secrecy of the information being shared between them, can  be a way to respect the personal beliefs and preferences

2. start communication with an open mind. Being willing to hear the opposing opinion, even the outrageous one, will help to protect others’ beliefs and preferences. By listening to people, and understanding the conversation

3. Look for common ground.

No matter what their beliefs or worldview, every human being is precious. Learn to see everyone you come into contact with through the lens of love, and then seek out opportunities to connect with them on a deeper level.

4. Keep the emotion in check and seek to understand

Instead of questioning the validity of others' opinions and beliefs, ask the question and be curious. Maintain productive discussion to understand a person and his regular livelihood rather than be judgemental (Petrovi?, 2018).

1. Socioeconomic status- it refers to the income rate of a family or an individual or the national income rate of a population within a state or a society. People with moderate to affluent income rates can maintain good oral health. But the people who come from poor backgrounds used to have poor knowledge about oral health and treatment

2. Religion and ethnicity - Culture is frequently described as coherent, shared patterns of behavior or beliefs that are particular to identified groups of people and that offer fundamental life roadmaps or social contexts, defining interpersonal relationships and behavioral norms as well as unspoken guidelines for right living. Race and ethnicity serve as indicators of dental health. The state of the teeth and mouth is influenced by underlying cultural ideas and practices in a variety of ways, such as food, care-seeking habits, and the use of over-the-counter medications. It is significant to note that there are significant disparities in attitudes and practices between and within each racial/ethnic group, which can have an impact on health status.

3. Health literacy: it is an essential factor that must be considered when it comes to providing oral health-related information to the patient. If the patient is a novice or does not have any prior education in maintaining good oral health, then the physician should start from the base- how to brush teeth to how to maintain good health and gum and teeth and another part of the oral system

Provide information that is accurate and consistent with organizational guidelines.

Communicate to the patient the information and policies to access oral health treatment from the respective healthcare center. Communicate the way for online consultation or telemedicine  (Melo et al, 2022)

Give the individuals the opportunity to discuss and seek clarification.

Call the organizational phone number or log in to the official site with the unique identification number. The patient can seek online counseling or clarification about their oral health status (Petrovi?, 2018).

Answer their questions.

Be responsive to the patient's response or complaints. Try to meet the requirements of the patients as early as possible, so that they can get services on time

Refer any questions beyond your role to an identified member of the team

If any question or requirement by the patient falls beyond my role and responsibility in healthcare, the patient should be referred to the corresponding person

1. Mouthwash regularly: use liquid mouthwash to fight against bacteria. It can also control halitosis, dental plaque, gingivitis, tartar, and calculus. Fluoride-containing mouthwash can help to control dental caries

2. Contemporary oral hygiene: toothbrushes and dental floss are important oral cleaning aids. Brushing and flossing the “dental care twins”. The dental toothpick and interdental brush should be used.

3. Interdental cleaning:  Use of fluoridated toothpaste should be used to maintain oral health care. Mouthwash can be used as a supplement. Visit to dentist at least once a year. Do not use tobacco, quit smoking

Caring for dentures

 After eating, take out and rinse your dentures. To get food crumbs and other loose particles off of your dentures, wash them with water (Sensitisation, 2018). To prevent the dentures from breaking if you drop them, you might wish to throw a towel on the counter, fill the sink with water, or both.

Handle your dentures carefully: ensure that you do not bend or damage the plastic or the clasps while cleaning and after removing dentures, clean your mouth by using a soft-bristled toothbrush and gauze to clean the tongue, cheeks, and palate.

Maintaining orthodontic appliances

 The appliance should be cleaned twice a day, during the morning and in the evening, to remove the plaque. Brush the braces frequently to keep it from being worn. Swish a lot of water. During snack times, keep the braces clean by swishing water to remove excess food debris left behind (Azevedo, 2019). Never boil the retainer, and use the right and specific toothbrush to clean the retainer.

Caring for implant-supported restorations

Brush and floss regularly. It is the most important oral hygiene habit for Memphis dental implant patients. Routine dental exams and cleaning can also be included in this practice

Caring for prosthetics such as crowns and bridges. 

The first piece of advice is to maintain a diet; floss carefully and avoid chewing gum. Try to chew on the opposite gum of your mouth and avoid eating and drinking hot meals or water. Avoid eating sticky food like bagels, candy, or gummy bears. Stay away from chewing crunchy and hard foods like nuts and chips.

Additionally, do not disturb or touch the wound, don’t rinse or spit, and always avoid using straws.

Cleaning teeth and the mouth

To stop gum disease, it's crucial to wash your teeth and floss. Gum disease might start to develop after several days of not brushing one's teeth. Plaque is the main contributor to tooth decay and gum disease, and brushing ensures that it is removed. Brushing also prevents new plaque from forming.

Brushing one's teeth can aid in preventing tooth decay, which can result in dental cavities, which are holes that develop in the teeth and can cause tooth loss.

One of your strongest lines of defense against periodontal disease can be dental floss, a simple and efficient item. Plaque and bacterial growth are the main contributors to periodontal disease. At least twice a day, you should wash your teeth thoroughly for two minutes as part of your daily oral hygiene routine.

The use of interdental aids

Interdental cleaning can help to remove debris and interproximal dental plaque. Dental floss and other interdental cleaners can help to clean hard-to-reach tooth surfaces and it can reduce the onset of gum diseases and tooth decay.

Mouthwash rinses

 Mouthwash can prevent several oral health problems. By eliminating the bacteria that would otherwise infect the gums and tooth sockets, mouthwash helps to prevent gingivitis and gum disease (Levine and Stillman-Lowe, 2019). It can demineralize your teeth, reinforce the enamel, and reduce plaque development, all of which help you avoid dental decay. In the end, mouthwash is unquestionably a crucial component of any dental care regimen. Some benefits of mouthwashing are:

1. Freshens breath- mouthwash can reduce bad breath, and it can kill bacteria associated with the onset of bad breath.

2. Prevent plaque build-up-  various types of mouthwash can prevent plaque build-up in gums, in-between teeth, and on the surface of the teeth. (Hasmun et al., 2018)

3. Removes particles- mouth wash can be a good practice to clean particles from the mouth

4. Mouthwashing regularly can stop the formation of cavities.

Disclosing agents

The purpose of the disclosing agent is, that it is applied on natural teeth and makes biofilm visible, focusing on areas that have been missed out during daily toothbrushes. The use of disclosing agents is very effective as it helps to establish the level of oral health and hygiene and raises awareness of the need for biofilm removal. It can provide personalized instruction to better oral health and hygiene

Patient awareness of oral abnormalities (oral cancer, inflammation)

 The importance of aware the patient about oral health is to advise people about maintaining oral health and its benefits. Prior awareness about oral health and oral health-related issues can make people know about the onset of oral cancer or any gum-related infection.

Biological factors include inherited personalities, and genetic conditions, whereas psychological and social factors include lifestyle, personality characteristics, income rate, stress level, and so on. It also includes social support systems, family backdrops, relationships, and social beliefs. These factors have a significant impact on health and illness and health promotion plans. The individual beliefs, socio-economies or income rate of a population, family background, and education, are the cultural, psychological, and social factors that play vital roles in the health and well-being of a population, along with the health promotion plan. For the exam, in the majority of the cases, oral health-related diseases are mostly observed among the people, who come from low-income brackets (Fitzgerald and Gallagher, 2018).

Education :

Education level can determine how healthy one can be. Education can give tools to make proper decisions for maintaining good oral health. People with proper education can maintain good health, physical as well as oral

Income:

One's health is impacted by how much money you earn. People with higher wages tend to live longer and in better health. They are more likely to reside in secure areas. They have easier access to supermarkets and wholesome foods. Usually, they have easier access to places where they can exercise or engage in other activities. A community of poverty is more likely to be home to those with low incomes. They are more likely to experience circumstances that could damage their health.

Housing:

Where one lives has a significant impact on health. People who are exposed to poor living conditions. Housing contributes to the health and well-being of people, as well as to health promotion

Access to health care:

How easy it is for you to access health care is one of the important determinant factors for the health and illness of people. Governmental intervention to provide health insurance, and easy access to health care, can impact of health and illness of people. It also has an important impact on health promotion. Easy access to healthcare and proper transportation services can influence health promotion within society to a considerable extent (Watanabe et al., 2020).

1. Make the children and young people habituated with good oral hygiene. Brush the teeth thoroughly twice in a day, and flossing daily are good methods for children and young people to have good oral health.

2.  Use of fluoride mouthwash and fluoride toothpaste for the children. Recommend they to clean their teeth and mouth with mouthwash and brush their teeth properly after each meal and snack. To encourage the children to regular brushing, use a soft toothbrush and a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Tell them to spit, rather than to rinse after brushing. Read story books about teeth and smiles, talk about healthy food and drink to grow strong teeth with children.

3. Visit the dentist in every year of the interval to check the health of children’s teeth. Care for the dentures every day. Ask them to clean their braces regularly and remove them overnight.

Demographic and social trends

In the UK, 88 percent of the population are predominantly White British, whereas the remaining is from different racial backdrops, like Asian British, Black population, non-white people, and so on. With the change in demography, the social trends of the population vary significantly along with the health approach. 

UK and international oral health trends 

According to the statistics, 73 percent of the people in the UK brush their teeth twice a day, and 33 percent of people agree that they do not floss their teeth.  According to the current UK trends, 75 percent of the women population from different demography and social trends brush their teeth twice a day in comparison to the male population, which accounts for only 65 percent.  considering the children's oral health trends in the UK, it can be seen that 65 percent of the parents visit the dentist at six-month intervals with their children while a majority if the population in the country is far apart from this routine (Yu et al., 2022). 

Determinants of health

The major determinants of health are the socio-economies of a country, per-capita income rate of a population within a country, access to health care, availability of healthcare support and services, ethnicity and beliefs, and political scenario.

Inequalities in health

In the UK, the inequality of health can be observed among white British and others who come from different ethnic groups. Inequal access to health can impact on overall health and well-being of a society.

The relevance of evidence-based practice in improving oral health can be indicated, as the practice can provide in-depth information about the impact of poor diet, smoking, and misuse of alcohol on dental health and the more comprehensive health system. The evidence-based practice includes all the facts and aspects of dentistry and approaches to prevent oral diseases by relying on knowledge and effectiveness. It includes quantitative and qualitative approaches to inform healthcare professionals and people about the prevention process or approaches to improving oral health and other health system. For example, an evidence-based practice shows that in the UK, 89 percent of the people, specifically the male population within the age group of 20 years to 65 years, are vulnerable to dental caries and oral health diseases due to excessive consumption of nicotine through smoking. This information can make people aware of taking preventive measures so that the onset of oral cancer in society can be suppressed.

“Through informational assistance, health education, and the improvement of life skills, health promotion aids in social and personal growth. By doing this, it broadens the range of choices people have to make decisions that will improve their health and that of their environs”- ()

The role of health promotion in changing society, community, and environment, along with the behavioral approach of people, is significant. Health promotion can make people engaged in education and learning throughout their lives. It can help people become familiar with the stages an individual should take or follow to cope with chronic illness or any health-related diseases. In terms of oral health practice, health promotion intervention at the school level can make the children aware of the importance of maintaining good oral health and how that can be maintained (Watanabe et al., 2020). At the community level, a productive and informative health promotion approach can make people aware of the detrimental effect of consuming alcohol, nicotine, and unhealthy foods on oral health, which in turn can negatively impact on overall health and well-being of society. With health promotion, the government or healthcare agency can influence society and its people to make small yet productive changes in lifestyle, for example, quitting smoking and misuse of alcohol, consuming of a healthy diet, and regular brushing and washing to maintain good oral health.

From this assessment, I came to understand the importance of maintaining oral health and how it can be managed or maintained. In this assessment, focus has solely been given to oral health development and maintaining its well-being. As a nursing student, I know the steps and stages with which one can maintain oral health. I also implement the lesson that I have learned from this assessment, which is the consultation with which I can make people engaged with managing oral health.

This workbook is a bit, but the good part of completing this assessment is it helps me to develop ideas about the significance of maintaining oral health. Completing this workbook made me understand that, several factors influence the oral health and overall health and well-being of a population.

To find the resources related to how social factors like social trends, demographics, and socio-economies impact maintaining oral health and well-being of people who come from different ethnic groups. 

In the future, when I start my future as a dentist or provide oral health services, I will remember the fact that socio-economies have a significant impact on people’s oral health. additionally, I will implement interesting ways to make children engaged with practicing brush and floss along with good habits to maintain oral health.

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