Chief Dental Officer at the Department of Health, Dr Dympna Kavanagh, speaks about the importance of oral health, with messages for parents of young children, teens and young adults and for older people. 00:00 Introduction Hello, my name is Dr. Dympna Kavanagh, Chief Dental Officer. And today, on World Oral Health Day, I want to speak to you about the importance of good oral health. It's important that we understand that the same factors that cause diseases such as diabetes, cardiac problems and cancer also impact on oral health. These common risk factors include smoking, drinking alcohol and high sugar intake. Reducing our consumption is crucial for all age groups. Alcohol and tobacco use are linked to oral cancer and tobacco to poor gum health. We know sugar is the central cause of dental decay, but reducing sugar will also reduce our risk of diabetes and obesity. So, try and reduce your intake. We know that when people do Dry January and avoid alcohol for a few weeks, it can have long-lasting benefits. In the same way, avoiding sugar, confectionery, sugary snacks and drinks, even for a short while can have a long-lasting positive health impact. Today, on World Oral Health Day, take the first step and avoid added sugar for the day. If you can do more, that's even better. And next year, you might avoid it for the full month of March. 01:29 Young Children It is especially important for young children to avoid snacks and soft drinks where possible in order to give them the very best start in life. We know from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children survey that nearly 1 in 10 children and adolescents drink soft drinks every day. In addition, over 1 in 5 admit to eating sugary snacks daily. While water is the best choice to keep hydrated, there are also other ways to reduce sugar consumption, such as drinking milk or diluting sugary drinks. 02:06 Adolescents and Young Adults For adolescents and young adults, it is really important to remember that tobacco use and vaping is not just about your general body health, but can damage your gums too, which can ultimately lead to tooth loss. From Healthy Ireland studies, we know that overall use of tobacco is declining. But adolescents, especially girls, are more likely to start smoking earlier and smoke more. Oral cancer crosses all genders and in young people is linked to HPV. It can often be forgotten, but in Europe we have the second highest level of oral cancer, which can be severely disfiguring to your face and affect speech and eating. Everyone should get their HPV vaccine in their teenage years, if possible, not just to prevent cervical cancer but also to prevent oral cancer. 03:04 Older People Nowadays, the good news is that we are more likely to retain our own teeth for a long time. 20 years ago, nearly half of over 70s had no teeth at all, and that number has thankfully reduced. Every year we see that more and more people are holding on to their teeth which is really good news. We know from Healthy Ireland studies that poor oral health impacts on our quality of life in later years. The more teeth you lose, the more likely you are to be unhappy eating and drinking in company and speaking to others. Being conscious of your appearance in this way can prevent you socialising. And we know that all of this can have a knock-on effect on your mental health. So, it is really important to maintain good oral health as you get older. Having good oral health is essential to leading a happy and healthy life. On World Oral Health Day the message is a Happy Mouth is a Happy Body.
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