I often receive calls from children who need surgery to treat dental caries to reschedule because they have another cold. Is there a correlation between the severity of dental caries and respiratory infections?
Maintain oral health, enhance immunity, and prevent respiratory infections in children
In fact, the mouth is the entrance to the respiratory tract and digestive tract, and it is also a storage tank for respiratory pathogens. For example, Chlamydia pneumoniae lives in our mouths. Hospitalized patients with periodontal disease are also prone to nosocomial infections due to poor oral hygiene. pneumonia. There are many mechanisms that explain why poor oral health can easily lead to respiratory infections or pneumonia. For example, oral pathogens can easily invade the lower respiratory tract of people in high-risk groups; they can also stimulate the release of salivary enzymes and change the mucosal surface of the respiratory tract, making it easier for pathogens to colonize. The inflammatory cytokines in the oral cavity of periodontal disease patients will change the adsorption capacity of the lung epidermis to pathogens, making it easier for bacteria to enter the lungs and cause infection. Therefore, improving oral health can reduce the colonization of oropharyngeal pathogens in the respiratory tract and reduce the complications of respiratory diseases.
In the past few years, people were overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally speaking, the relationship between oral health and COVID-19 is mainly indirect. Because poor oral hygiene is closely related to patients with chronic diseases and low immunity, people with these diseases or conditions are likely to become a high-risk group for moderate to severe disease after being infected with COVID-19. , so poor oral hygiene will indeed indirectly increase the chance of contracting COVID-19. The WHO’s target for the dental caries rate for 5-year-old children in 2020 is to be less than 10%. However, the dental caries rate for 5-year-old children in Taiwan is as high as 65%. This shows that awareness of maintaining oral health still needs to be strengthened, and there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Reduce bacterial species variability to maintain oral health
The composition of bacteria is easily affected by host genes, living environment, diet and age. Due to the advancement of the times, humans have changed from having to hunt and gather food to having high carbohydrates readily available, so the bacterial profile in the mouth has also changed accordingly. Generally speaking, the bacterial species composition is still dominated by Streptococcus, accounting for about 54% in adults and 44% in children. What is different is that anaerobic bacteria are more likely to be found in the oral bacterial composition of adults, while spiral bacteria are more likely to be found in children’s oral flora. Compared with adults, children’s oral microbial flora has no difference in bacterial species richness, but its uniformity and diversity are higher, which is related to adults’ greater experience with dental caries and the greater prevalence of periodontal disease. Generally speaking, the oral microbiota composition of adults is easily affected by oral hygiene habits.
Studies have pointed out that adults who never floss have greater differences in the composition of their oral microbiota than those who frequently floss, indicating that their microbiota may contain more harmful bacteria. People who have seen a dentist in the past three months have fewer harmful bacteria and a more consistent bacterial profile compared to people who have not seen a dentist for more than a year. Children’s oral flora is related to weight and gender. Obesity and frequent use of sweets may lead to large differences in the composition of children’s oral flora and more harmful bacteria; boys have greater differences in bacterial species than girls.
In order to cultivate good bacteria in the mouth and reduce the frequency of colds, we must reduce the cariogenic factors in the mouth and increase the protective factors in the mouth.
Eat healthily and cultivate good oral bacteria to boost immunity
There is a dynamic balance in the oral environment. There is a biofilm on the surface of our teeth, which hosts acid-producing bacteria or acid-resistant bacteria. These acid-producing bacteria will quickly transport carbohydrates and perform glycolysis to produce lactic acid, acetic acid and propionic acid, making the oral cavity The acid-base imbalance of the environment leads to dental caries; and when the oral environment tends to be acidic, the oral bacteria are suitable for acid-producing or acid-resistant bacteria to live, which reduces the number of bacteria that can secrete deaminase and urease to neutralize the pH value in the mouth.
Therefore, in order to cultivate good bacteria in the mouth and reduce the frequency of colds, we must reduce the cariogenic factors in the mouth and increase the protective factors in the mouth. For example, chew xylitol gum (6-10 grams per day, 3-5 times a day) to increase saliva secretion; if you must eat snacks, you can use increments without increasing the frequency to avoid fluctuations in the pH in the mouth. ; The use of fluoride can also effectively reduce the number of acid-producing bacteria in the mouth, thereby maintaining oral health.
【Doctor’s Little Advice】
In terms of diet, it is recommended to eat high-fiber foods that can chew more, stimulate saliva secretion, and increase the degree of self-purification in the mouth; the food selection needs to be diverse, and can incorporate original and high-protein foods into the carbohydrate diet; drink more water to neutralize the acidity in the mouth As well as lubricating food for easier swallowing and flossing aggressively. In terms of improving immunity, milk and yogurt have low cariogenic potential and can slightly reduce the occurrence of dental caries because they are rich in calcium. Because lactose is not easy for bacteria to metabolize compared to sucrose, it contains calcium, phosphorus, Protein and fat can achieve protective effects; breast milk is not recommended. Breast milk can improve immunity but is a high-sucrose food. It is recommended to quit before the age of 2 to avoid severe early-onset dental caries in children.
[Extended reading]
Acne “hard squeeze” may lead to acne!Learn 3 tricks to regulate endocrine and say goodbye to acne
Source: Chinese Health Network
/Article/251/93802
If you like this article, please like it and share it with your friends
More health information: Chinese Health Network
2024-04-11 00:00:00
#Childrens #oral #health #related #respiratory #infections #increase #good #bacteria #reduce #colds #Fan #News
