Relation between Dental issues and General health………..Fact/Myth????

Yes, teeth infection can really turn out to be serious issues. It’s hard to imagine how a toothache could turn deadly—but it can. Even mild or moderate dental discomfort quickly turns into a serious condition, known as an abscess - a pus-filled infection inside the tooth or between a tooth and the gum. 

No one has a precise explanation for the trend, but some experts speculate that the high cost, pain phobia, lack of awareness of dental treatment prevent many people from seeking routine dental care and perhaps delaying treatment when a dental problem occurs/arises.

Dr. Erin Sutton, a Fort Walton Beach dentist, pointed out the infection could either move to bone marrow or the bloodstream, causing sepsis and affecting major organs.

“Toothache leads to multi-organ dysfunction” Ms Mala, 26 yrs, lands in ICU, unable to drink, eat or speak. Never had she, imagined that lack of oral hygiene could prove so disastrous. What started as a simple toothache landed with multi-organ dysfunction. Mala survived three mild cardiac attacks and was on ventilator for two months before recovery.

When a toothache and swelling in her right jaw bothered, she, like any other youngster, thought pain killers would be the cure. However, those didn't help her in fact, the ache led to dental cellulitis and the swelling made its way to her throat, blocking the passage. An examination revealed the infection had spread to her vital organs and she was diagnosed with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. There was a shower of bacteria on her lungs and fluids in the lungs started accumulating around her heart. Besides, there was a clot in a vein that connects the heart, head and the neck region. Oral hygiene was compromised, leading to the spreading of anaerobic bacteria,"

“Ms Mala had a lot of cavities and didn’t bother to take care of them. It hit her only when she lost speech, couldn’t lie down and wasn’t even able to swallow water. It’s a rebirth for him.”

(http://www.thequint.com/health-fitness/2016/07/19/bengaluru-womans-ignored-dental-problem-toothache-led-to-multi-organ-dysfunction)

Changing Scenarios and Perceptions for Career in Dentistry in India

Indian health care industry experiencing dynamic transformation owing to increased demand for quality health care, this also has been accelerated with increase in the standard of living, consequently, significance and prioritization to achieve esthetic and healthy smile boosted dental market. This boost gave rise to the demand for increase in the number of dental professionals, which led to the mushrooming of dental colleges in last decade.

Prior to 1966, all dental colleges in India were government aided, in that particular year; first private dental college was established. By 2010, there were 39 government dental colleges and 252 private dental colleges. Presently (2016) approximately 300 dental establishments with around 30,000 dental graduates hitting market, searching for their piece of pie. Ideally, we feel, the thought process behind explosively permitting newer dental institutes were to create a environment of competition for these institutes which in turn will compel them to raise the standard of education and give a greater access to underprivileged society.

But, the table turned the other way, as instead of competing with each other there became atmosphere of cooperation and unity. We are not the one to question/comment about drastic increase in the number of graduates, but certainly these huge pass outs are facing a problem of employment, so to make a bare sustainable employment prospects due to competition in practice and unavailability of job prospects which provoked them to attract patients by under charging resulted in the issue related with obsolete technique and quality.

 These factors entirely reversed the motive of increasing dental institutes. But things do not end up here; now lack of satisfactory opportunities gave a negative impact to the young aspirants, which distanced them from this Nobel profession. Presently suffering has also started for the dental institutes, where there is depression and lack of motivation in existing professionals which started playing a detrimental role in context to their zest to learn, which reflected in their quality. Another aspect of change is the drastic reduction in the new aspirants, causing shrinkage in institutes’ profit margins, which is being propagated as losses, compromised the quality and the health of institutes. Due to shrinkage in their profit margins, accordingly, a well managed justification for curtailment in the budgetary allowance for the upgradation of profession and institute, limits the glory for the profession.