29 mars 2020

Can Covid -19 influence oral health?

Ulrika Lindmark

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

In times of Covid-19, openness and sharing are important! So, why not apply this to the Topic 2 “Open Learning – Sharing and Openness“, in my ongoing course Open Network Learning (ONL201). Even within Dental care, openness and sharing is of importance. There are some good websites about both Covid-19 information within dental care but also about oral health prevention.

Why not be open and share?

As for health care, dental care also is involved and have taken precautions. This will probable also have consequences for oral health later on.

Why?

To help ensure that general healthcare has access to hygiene materials, a lot of the Dental Public and Private clinics are closed or have a limit access. Thus, dental care in most regions encourages patients to reschedule to a later appointment if not an acute situation. The regular dental checkups will be canceled or postponed, and this will also include outreach activities in the nursing homes and schools.

In times of this, our habits may change in different ways. Maybe you are laid off from work, work from home or actually are ill and feel alone. We need something to cheer us up with! We like to take a little extra break with coffee and sweets and soft drinks are a comfort for many. This is understandable and is okay, if it goes on for a short time. However, if this goes on for a longer time and become a habit it will probably have consequences such as caries and gum disease. When access to dental care is limited, this will be a problem.

What can I do?

The best part is that you actually have the chance to prevent these problems by yourself. Oral health prevention actions will not just help yourself but also others by not having to seek out dental care in these times with Covid-19 and also later. Help yourself and you will also help others!

Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes
with two centimeter fluoride toothpaste (2+2+2). Clean all sites on the teeth!
Clean in between the teeth using for example interdental brushes, tooth pik or floss.