Dental Care and Oral Health Sourcebook, 7th Ed.

Oral health is essential to overall health. More than 1 in 4 (26 percent) adults in the United States have untreated tooth decay. Nearly half (46 percent) of all adults aged 30 years or older show signs of gum disease; severe gum disease affects about 9 percent of adults. Good oral health includes more than maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Oral health also involves avoiding craniofacial conditions that can affect the face and mouth. These conditions can lead to systemic health problems such as infections, immune disorders, cancer, or heart and lung disease. Although there has been significant improvement in the oral health of Americans due to increasingly effective prevention and treatment efforts, some challenges remain, and new concerns have emerged.

Dental Care and Oral Health Sourcebook, Seventh Edition offers information about mouth and tooth care guidelines for effective hygiene, nutrition, and decay prevention. Facts about tooth pain, dental fillings, orthodontia, and other endodontic treatments and dental implants are provided. Facial trauma and cleft palate treatments are also discussed. Disorders such as temporomandibular joint and muscle (TMJ) disorder, mouth sores, jaw problems, tongue disorders, and health conditions, such as bad breath, that impact oral health are addressed. The book concludes with guidelines for finding and financing dental care, a glossary of dental care terms, and directories with further information about dental care and oral health services.

Part 1: Taking Care of Your Mouth and Teeth begins by outlining key steps for dental health and provides an overview on the anatomy of the mouth. Information on procedures and products used to clean teeth and remove dental plaque is provided. The impact of nutrition and fluoride is described along with details about mouth injuries. Oral health for older adults is also discussed.

Part 2: Visiting Your Dentist’s Office explains common dental procedures, such as dental imaging, fillings, sedation, and dental drills, besides information on routine dental visits and overcoming dental phobia. It also talks about dental caries in primary and permanent teeth and prevalence of total and untreated dental caries among youth. Details about rebuilding and reshaping teeth, having a tooth pulled, as well as denture choices are also provided.

Part 3: Dental Care for Infants and Children offers strategies for initiating and maintaining healthy primary teeth. Fluoride treatments and sealants with adequate calcium intake are addressed. Other specific concerns for children, such as teething, using a pacifier, childhood bruxism, weaning a child from a bottle, and the impact of sugar on children’s oral health, are also explained. It also discusses preventing oral injuries and tooth decay in children and the importance of routine dental care visits.

Part 4: Orthodontic, Endodontic, Periodontic, and Orofacial Conditions and Procedures provides information about treatment for endodontic conditions, periodontal (gum) disease, and dental implants. Facial trauma and corrective jaw surgery are also discussed.

Part 5: Oral Diseases and Disorders provides information about various diseases and disorders that affect the oral health, such as bad breath, burning mouth syndrome, cleft palate, dentinogenesis imperfecta, jaw problems, mouth sores, oral cancer, thrush, tongue disorders, and so on.

Part 6: Health Conditions That Affect Oral Health describes specific medical conditions that cause—or result in—oral complications, including cancer treatment, celiac disease, diabetes, heart disease, immune system disorders, organ transplantation, osteoporosis, and the use of tobacco products.

Part 7: Finding and Financing Oral Health in the United States provides information on oral healthcare status and factors that impact access to oral healthcare. It reviews average dental expenses for dental care and includes suggestions for finding low-cost dental care. Specific information about school-based oral health services is also provided.

Part 8: Additional Help and Information provides a glossary of terms related to dental care and oral health. Directories of local dental schools and other dental care and oral health resources are also included.