Chapter 21: Reducing the Burden of Oral Diseases Through Technology

Not only does the quality of one’s oral health have a tremendously salient impact on one’s quality of life, but the quality of one’s oral health and microbial plaque biofilm have also been associated with one’s risk for developing a multitude of general diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and pre-term low birth-weight babies. Much poor dental hygiene is the direct result of misinformation, which is one of the issues that is addressed in this chapter: how technology can be used as a means of primary and secondary prevention of oral diseases. In addition, many of the methods for preventing and correcting oral diseases are using the technology itself, for example, water and milk fluoridation. The use of technology to directly impact oral health, in addition to patient education, is examined in this chapter. In addition, a case study from Thailand is included that demonstrates how the incidence of dental caries can be reduced using various technologies.