Dental Care Disparities: Unsolved Despite Dental Profession's Best Efforts - Essay Sample

Introduction

Oral health significantly impacts on an individual's overall health status. Therefore, the ability to access efficient oral and dental care is fundamental in the maintenance of a healthy body. It makes dental hygienists, as well as other mid-level dental caregivers, integral parts of the support of excellent health status across a population. The dental profession, as such, is determined to resolve dental health disparities across a community (Bersell, 2017). Unfortunately, they are unable to achieve this because of factors such as inaccessibility of optimum oral and dental care to inadequate dental professionals, low socioeconomic status and poverty, and lastly, illiteracy on dental health and the accompanying necessary care. The landscape of dental and oral health is further complicated by the fact that it is underpinned by oral anatomy and the subsequent spread of oral infections. For instance, dental and oral health remains tremendously underrated and overlooked. However, they may spread and result in fatalities, such as death resulting from odontogenic sepsis (Carter & Lowis, 2007). In combination with oral anatomy, the magnitude of the spread of dental infections fundamentally affects the overall health.

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Fascial Spaces and Oral Health

Fascial spaces form a fundamental basis for accurate diagnosis and the treatment of odontogenic infections. As such, it plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of good oral health and hence, the overall health of an individual. The fascial spaces characteristically determine the effectiveness of head and neck treatments in which they decide whether or not such infections are abounded to spread to other tissues and organs. My opinion has not changed regarding the significance of fascial spaces in the maintenance of oral health for several reasons. The most fundamental right is that fascial spaces are crucial parts of oral anatomy, and therefore, the support of oral hygiene must take them into account. I have always known that exacerbation of oral infections impedes accurate diagnosis, and this can lead to life-threatening outcomes such as death. It was no news that supportive care and the aggressive intravenous administration of antimicrobials is an effective way of addressing such infections. However, I was impressed to note that surgical intervention is also an essential way of managing odontogenic diseases that might result in severe outcomes such as death (Carter & Lowis, 2007).

The study informed that dentists and other mid-level oral caregivers must focus on fascial spaces while delivering oral care. It is undeniable that most individuals do not access extensive oral and dental care, especially thorough cleaning, and this predisposes them to the risk of systemic spread of oral infections. To complement this point, it is undeniable that many people do not access extensive dental care based on a reason such as unavailability of dental professionals, poverty and low socioeconomic status, and lastly, illiteracy regarding dental care (Bersell, 2017). My opinion has not changed regarding these facts because it is nearly impossible that one would access extensive and professional dental services if he or she cannot foot dental care bills. Alternatively, illiteracy and inaccessibility of dental professionals and caregivers substantiate the worsening of oral disorders that might spread to affect the head and the neck. To this point, my opinion has significantly changed because I did not know that oral infections could spread to the body's systems, and subsequently cause death.

Systemic Spread of Oral Infections

Odontogenic infections are the primary causes of Ludwig's angina, and this happens when individuals receive improper oral and dental care. Odontogenic infections, as such, prompt optimum dental care in which the use of antimicrobials as surgical adjuncts fundamentally reduce deaths attributed to Ludwig's angina (Carter & Lowis, 2007). The combination of surgical procedures and antimicrobials reduces the possibilities of the spread of these infections to the underlying neck and head tissues, and this is the primary way through which overall health is maintained. Fundamentally, my opinion has not changed based on this concept because the study of other courses, especially the pharmacological principles touching on synergistic effects of combined therapy, suggests such possibilities. In this measure of intervention, the surgical-antimicrobial combination in the drainage of the head and neck areas eliminates the infections. The antimicrobials, based on their specific mechanisms of actions, either trigger microbial death of static growth. As such, their spread to the underlying tissues in the head and the neck is contained. Mortalities associated with systemic spread of odontogenic infections, is thus, held, and this is a reasonable case with other localized infections. Also, surgical-antimicrobial use in the drainage of the neck and head tissues can be said to be prophylaxis against the systemic spread of odontogenic diseases, and this is one concept I do not despite because it has changed my opinion regarding such infections. I did not know that such odontogenic infections might rich the systemic tissues and eventually cause death.

The recommendations brought forth to increase the quality of oral health are also prominent. My opinion, however, has not changed about their intricacies, especially regarding their importance and how they improve oral health. For instance, increasing access to dental care, hygiene, and the administrative removal bottlenecks in the practice of dental care are essential strategies of enhancing oral health, and this spell the reduction of mortalities associated with exacerbated and systemically distributed oral infections (Bersell, 2017). In the management of systemic oral diseases, the use of antimicrobials as surgical adjuncts is paramount because they are necessities for such procedures. I have known, form chemotherapy, those antimicrobials are fundamental in the performance of sterile surgical procedures because they are used to prevent infection of the wounds and during the process. As such, my opinion has not changed about them and the rationale of their use.

Conclusion

Oral health is an avenue to general health because oral infections may persist and reach the underlying tissues and body systems. The odontogenic infections are characteristic examples of oral diseases entering the body's systems because they penetrate the neck and head tissues, and subsequently cause death. These effects are prominent only because most people do not access effective and professional oral care for various reasons. For instance, inadequate dental and oral professionals, is perpetuated by illiteracy about dental hygiene, and poverty. To the professionals, the approach given is critical, and this includes the significance of fascial spaces in the prevalence and exacerbation of oral infections. The study, as such, has changed my opinion regarding oral anatomy, primarily through the involvement of fascial spaces; in the maintenance of oral heal. Also, I have learned that oral health significantly impacts overall health status because some of the oral infections might cause death. Even so, my perspective has not changed on certain aspects, such as a combined approach in which antimicrobials are used as adjuncts of the surgical procedures of addressing the oral infections.

References

Bersell, C. H. (2017). Access to oral health care: a national crisis and call for reform. American Dental Hygienists' Association, 91(1), 6-14. Retrieved from https://jdh.adha.org/content/91/1/6.short

Carter, L., & Lowis, E. (2007). Death from overwhelming odontogenic sepsis: a case report. British dental journal, 203(5), 241. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/bdj.2007.784