in Spain 96.2% of the population states that they brush their teeth every day. However, only 67.5% visit the dentist at least once a year. These data show that while great progress has been made, much remains to be done. Raise awareness of oral health care.
Therefore, and the recently published ‘Sanitas Oral Health Study 2023′El Periódico de España from the Prensa Ibérica group, together with Sanitas Dental, organized an interview with experts. ‘The present and future of dentistry in Spain’ Some of the challenges faced by this discipline were addressed.
“Oral health is constantly evolving Society still insists on going to the dentist when something hurts or you start to understand that something is wrong,” she says. Manuela Escorial Garciaresponsible dentist Sanitas Dental’s Innovation and Clinical Quality Department. He acknowledges that there is a trend for change and that the population already assumes that they should go to the dentist at least once a year.
Maria Victoria Mateosdentist and member Spanish Society of Epidemiology and Oral Public Health (SESPO), agrees with the significant improvement in oral care habits. “We work hard protect healthnot only to encourage habits, but also to maintain them, and for this it is necessary to raise awareness not only of the entire population, but also of all government institutions,” he insists.
Beatriz Serrano de Haro doctor-dentist clinical Dr. Serrano de HaroHe explains that dentists treat caries and periodontal disease, the two most common pathologies of humanity, and points out that they are now added to prevalence and gum disease. incidence of bruxism after the pandemic. remember this 90% of the population in the West clenches their teeth and that we are moving towards a world where “we will all need splints”. HE stress and tooth wear says it also affects children and athletes Elisa Carballido Ferreira dental hygienist and member Board of the Madrid College of Hygienists.
value at this point the job of the hygienist, “A fundamental figure for education in the prevention and promotion of oral health”. These professionals are responsible educating and preventing patients, but also to advise them on something as simple as brushing their teeth well, because sometimes “even the most basic things are unknown,” Carballido continues. “You can tell the patient to brush their teeth three times a day, but maybe he’s brushing wrong. So you have to sit down with him and take your time. explains brushing technique”.
“We are used to paying for sickness, not health,” says SESPO dentist María Victoria Mateos, and therefore ” take time to prevent and teach our patients to brush well, floss, etc. teach.”
prevention
Although the population gradually realizes that grooming should be a daily habitexperts demand more support and oral health care program “You have to stop thinking that going to the dentist is linked to removing a turbine; This has to change, we have to start thinking that we will be told we are fine”, emphasizes dentist Manuela Escorial.
He reports that many patients do not come to consultation until they are at their limit and claims that “we should do it”. betting on prevention from the first moment, with preventive care and treatment”. “Solving serious pathologies in sick mouths, if we do not prevent and prevent problems, complex and expensive treatments”, adds Beatriz Serrano.
Escorial assures that there is a lot of talk about primary protection, but reminds that there is a “basic fit with protection”. secondary protection”. It is important to explain what to do when a patient is fitted with an implant or prosthesis. Steps to take to deal with itbecause it is “a solution that needs to be combined with other teeth in your mouth,” explains the Sanitas Dental specialist.
general health
“One good oral health is good general health”, states Elisa Carballido Ferreira, noting that the oral cavity is the main entrance to our body.
According to that Sanitas Oral Health Study 2023, 40.1% of pregnant women experienced some oral health problems, mainly. caries (36.8%). Carballido emphasizes the importance raise awareness and educate mothers in this process “so that when their children are born all the resources are there. There was nothing before, but thanks to industry we have a wide range of possibilities to achieve good oral health”.
The Sanitas Dental specialist agrees: “There is growing evidence. the link between the mouth and general health” and confirms that this is a two-way relationship. “I think it is necessary involve the dentist in the diagnosis and referral to the doctor The chronic pathologies we experience in the first world” there is still a long way to go.
Beatriz Serrano believes that oral health “should be part of systemic health” because there is a reciprocal relationship and ” general health professionals and oral health professionals work together”. In contrast, “interacting much more than we do on a professional level; We want the patient to be involved, but we must also be involved to provide the population with that whole that is health in general”.
According to that WHO 2022 Global State of Oral Health ReportThe total number of oral disease cases in the world exceeds the number of cases 5 major non-communicable diseases (ENT) (mental disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, chronic respiratory diseases and cancer).
High sugar consumption, all kinds of tobacco and alcohol consumption are important. public health issues for a wide range of NCDs, but also The main modifiable risk factors for oral diseases. Therefore, prevention policies have a common goal: to reduce common risk factors. improve dietreduce tobacco use anyone improve hygiene habits They are common goals to achieve improvement in different health problems.
digitization
Manuela Escorial,Dentistry in Spain has a very high level. and progress is being made not only in modernization and digitization of equipment, but also in research. We have very good researchers and a lot of open lines”.
Sanitas Dental dentist also currently has numerous preventative digitization tools and emphasizes the return on oral health thanks to technology: “We now have the opportunity to work with much more conservative materials for oral tissues, we can do this with a precision and accuracy we didn’t have before; We can reduce treatment and appointment times”.
“Processes that used to take longer are increasingly more predictable and less complexand we can now treat patients more conservatively, less invasively, and more safely.”
Dr. doctor-dentist at the Serrano de Haro clinic, Digitization is not the future, it is the present. dentistry: “We have digitized the history, data collection, relationship to laboratory and interprofessional relationship. webinars”.
Another big improvement is implementation of video consultations. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been very helpful to have a specialist you can talk to and screen to determine if your pathology is urgent. This system has been implemented and is still used in certain situations/medical disciplines today,” says María. Victoria Mateos (SESPO).
In the opinion of the Sanitas Dental specialist, this tool “transformed the relationship between patient and professional,” but he recalls that it remains “one.” source of support to a relationship that will always be face-to-face”. An idea shared by Beatriz Serrano, who argues that there is a risk of regression, interprofessional relations and time spent actively listening to patients is lost.
“The healthcare professional who is so immersed in digital processes, look and listen to the patient. That’s why I think we need to keep what we’re doing much better in the analog world and keep making it better. patient in the center listen to him, look after him or help him,” she explains.