Mental illness risk if you suffer from gum disease ↑...What's the right way to take care of your mouth?
Mar 19, 2025
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It was established by the 'FDI World Dental Federation' to promote the importance of oral health, and the theme of this year's campaign is 'A Happy Mouth is A Happy Mind'.
Oral health can also affect mental health. If gum inflammation persists, the stress response increases, which can break the balance between serotonin and dopamine, which regulates emotions in the brain. These changes may increase the risk of depression and anxiety disorders.
In fact, a research team at the Institute of Applied Health Research (University of Birmingham) in England has published a study showing that gum disease can cause mental illness. The research team compared and analyzed the medical records of 64,379 people with a history of gum disease and 251,161 people with no history of gum disease for about three years using primary medical data from Britons, and found that people with gum disease had a 37% increased risk of developing mental health problems (anxiety, depression, etc.).
Gum disease can be prevented by brushing our teeth every day. Marking World Oral Health Day on March 20, we will introduce proper oral care methods to prevent gum disease.
First of all, plaque that causes gum disease is formed by combining bacteria and food debris in the oral cavity, and it is easy to accumulate between the teeth and the gum line where the teeth and gums meet. Therefore, it is important to carefully clean the interdental and gum lines when brushing your teeth.
The Korean Oral Health Association recommends 'Standard Gum Brushing Method (Modified Bath Method)' as an effective method of brushing teeth to prevent gum disease. Hold the toothbrush lightly like a pencil, place the toothbrush cap at a 45-degree angle to the gum line, give a fine vibration 5 to 10 times in place, and use your wrist to rotate the toothbrush cap from the gums toward the teeth to brush your teeth.
To maximize the effectiveness of the standard gum brushing method, it is important to brush your teeth with fine vibration with an appropriate force that does not strain your gums. However, it can be difficult to practice this accurately using a manual toothbrush. In this case, it is also a way to use a sonic electric toothbrush. In fact, according to the clinical results of Philips Sonicare, gingivitis decreased by 29.99%, gum bleeding decreased by 74.08% and plaque decreased by 28.66%, whereas gingivitis decreased by -1.84% and gum bleeding by 24.72%, and plaque decreased by 0.87% in the group using manual toothbrushes.
In addition, using an interdental toothbrush after brushing can more effectively remove food debris remaining between teeth. When using an interdental toothbrush, first gently insert it between the teeth and then lightly move it back and forth 2-3 times to wipe it. If you have gum disease, you may bleed while using an interdental toothbrush, but this is a sign that your gums are inflamed, so you don't have to worry too much. Rather, the steady use of interdental toothbrushes helps relieve inflammation of the gums and improve gum health. However, it is important to be careful not to poke your gums excessively when using an interdental brush, and to choose an appropriate size for your interdental brush.
In addition, it should be noted that if the bristles are worn out, the plaque removal effect decreases and can cause infection by wounding the gums. Usually, bristles start to wear after three months of use, so it is better to replace them at this time. Even if it has not been two to three months, if the tip of the bristles opens, it should be replaced immediately.
Park Yong-deok, president of the Korea Oral Health Association (Shinhan University Research Department), said, `Although gum disease is a disease that can seriously affect general and mental health, about 18.8 million people visited hospitals last year for gum disease, beating common colds in outpatient frequent disease statistics"The Korean Oral Health Association will continue to carry out various campaigns and education to promote the seriousness of gum disease in the future."," he said.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
