Sonia Walker, dental nurse attached to the Clarendon Health Department, explained that while good oral hygiene generally results in healthy teeth and a beautiful smile, it also helps to preserve the health of the heart and prolong life.

She explained that periodontal disease, which is one of the dental issues elderly persons, in particular, are forced to contend with, sometimes leads to heart disease. This, she told the Jamaica Information Service, results from bacteria travelling from the mouth, down into the heart, causing it to degenerate, over time.

Irreversible

Periodontal disease is usually evidenced by teeth which shake and later fall out if the condition is not treated early. While the condition can be treated, it is irreversible.

The most effective preventive measure, she pointed out, is proper oral hygiene, which should begin during infancy and continue throughout one's lifetime. Walker noted that public education is critical to the dissemination of information, which could transform dental practices in Jamaica.

Oral attitude

"It is very important to start from very early in a person's life, to inculcate the right sort of attitude towards oral hygiene.

"... So while it is important for the elderly to take good care of their teeth, it is even more important that children be taught sound practices, as these will grow with them," she emphasised.

Walker said children, particularly those living in the Corporate Area, were able to achieve a relatively small number of dental caries. She said more would have to be done to bring the rural areas up to this level.