Oral Health: The Disease of The Gum

1249 Words3 Pages

There are many diseases that affect the body and make the body incompetent. However, some of these diseases become chronic and so common among people. Among these is the disease of the GUM. In fact, oral health is an important component of health in general. Good oral health enables the individual to speak, eat and socialize without any embarrassment and discomfort. Oral diseases cause untold pain and suffering that disrupt daily activities and therefore present an economic burden on the individual and the society. For this reason, there is the need to discuss gum disease, its causes, and prevention and treatment measures that will enable the individual to reduce the rate at which gum disease is increasing and at the same time posing burden in the general populace. Gingivitis, also referred to as gum disease is a medical terminology meaning inflammation of the gum, thus tenderness and swollenness of the gum. It is the first stage of gum disease. The beginning of this disease may not show any immediate symptoms and yet may spread out to other part of the periodontal cavity (the bone and soft tissues responsible for keeping the teeth anchored). When the disease gets to this stage, then gingivitis is already at its peak. This stage is medically known as periodontitis stage (Inflammation of the periodontal cavity). There are many things that comes to play when considering gingivitis (inflammation of the gum) but the major cause is a micro-organism known as BACTERIA. From the American Societies for Experimental Biology, analysis confirms that Porphyromonal gingivalis is the known bacteria that causes gum disease. These bacteria manipulate the immune system to disable normal processes that will otherwise destroy it. In effect, when pla...

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...ican Societies for Experimental Biology. (2013). Gingivitis bacteria manipulate your immune system so they can thrive in your gum. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://medicalnewstoday.com/release/254592.php

care, I. f. (2013). Fact sheet: gingivitis and periodontitis. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0016265

Jester, C. (2013). Paste, wrap, and shimmy: a regimen for the prevention of gum disease. Geneal Dentistry[Gen.Dent.], 61(1), 29-32. Retrieved December 27, 2013, from http://ezproxy.ug.edu.gh:2059/ehost/detail

Mangalore, S., Venkata, PK., Basavantappa, Js., Preetha, S. (2013). Knowledge about prevention of oral cancer and gum diseases among school teachers in Dharwad ,India. Indian Journal of Dental Research[Indian J Dent Res], 24(3), 279-283. Retrieved December 27, 2013, from http:/ezproxy.ug.edu.gh:2059/ehost/detail

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