Open wide: It’s time to see dentistry as an essential part of holistic health care

Nairn Wilson and Mikako Hayashi say for too long, it has been regarded as the Cinderella of the medical profession and more cooperation is needed among doctors, dentists and health care professionals to enhance people’s lives.

As practitioners with combined clinical experience of more than 70 years, we have learned that folk wisdom often stands the test of time. Benjamin Franklin, the scientist-philosopher-politician whose face adorns the US$100 bill, coined the expression, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

Governments facing steeply rising health care bills should remember Franklin’s advice. Recent clinical studies of elderly people indicate that those who have kept their teeth, or even have well-fitting dentures, are more likely to be active longer, whereas the edentulous lose their appetite for life. The importance of dental confidence – the ability to eat, speak and interact with others without pain, discomfort or fear of embarrassment – in old age is vital for a healthy life.

Admiral David Satcher, US surgeon general under president Bill Clinton, wisely noted that: “The mouth is a mirror of the body, it is a sentinel of disease, and it is critical to overall health and well-being.”

Admiral David Satcher, US surgeon general under president Bill Clinton, wisely noted that: “The mouth is a mirror of the body, it is a sentinel of disease, and it is critical to overall health and well-being.”

Read the article here:  http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1970291/open-wide-its-time-see-dentistry-essential-part-holistic#add-comment