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Why Don’t We Treat Our Teeth As If They Are Part Of Our Overall Health?

Why Don’t We Treat Our Teeth As If They Are Part Of Our Overall Health?
by Gayathri Subramanian

My patient sat quietly in our urgent-care dental clinic. He had just been diagnosed with tongue cancer and would soon undergo radiation therapy. Before treatment, he needed all invasive dental treatments completed because radiation can take an enormous toll on the oral cavity, weakening the teeth and jawbone. He had been referred to us in 2013 from the radiation oncology department at University Hospital in Newark, N.J. The clinic, located at the same hospital, is affiliated with the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, where I’m a faculty member. Hence, I oversee our dental residents as they treat patients at the urgent-care clinic.

My patient (I am not identifying him to protect his privacy) was unemployed, in his early 50s, with little income and a tough life. He worked odd jobs now and then. He was a smoker — three packs a day for more than 30 years — and a drinker, consuming a few cans of beer a day. His broken-down teeth seemed to bear testimony to years of neglect. He had medical insurance but no dental coverage.

For many of the patients we treat, daily life is such a struggle that brushing and flossing are a low priority. Other patients have never been properly educated about oral hygiene or have little familiarity with the health-care system.

My patient had been aware of a slowly growing mass in his tongue but sought care only when he began having trouble swallowing and started experiencing severe pain that spread to his ear. His smoking and drinking had inevitably contributed to the developing cancer on the floor of his mouth and the base of his tongue. While not a candidate for surgery, he was recommended for chemotherapy in conjunction with radiation therapy. Because the treatment would expose his oral structures — including the jawbone, salivary glands and teeth — to radiation, a dental evaluation was prompted.

Read full article on The Washington Post.