POLLUTION IN DENTISTRY – A CRITICAL REVIEW

Health may be defined as the capability to adapt and manage physical, mental, and social concerns throughout life. Oral health is a key indicator of overall health, wellbeing, and quality of life. WHO defines oral health as “a state of being free from chronic mouth and facial pain, oral and throat cancer, oral infection and sores, periodontal (gum) disease, tooth decay, tooth loss and other diseases and disorders that limit an individual’s capacity in biting, chewing, smiling, speaking and psychosocial wellbeing. Oral diseases are the most frequent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and affecting humans lifelong, resulting in pain, malaise, malformation, and till death. Environmental pollution is now recognized as a global threat, and the actions of mankind are largely accountable for this. Various oral diseases like dental caries, fluorosis are influenced by the food and water quality in a particular topographic area. Chemicals in water can be both naturally occurring or introduced by human interference and can have a huge impact on teeth and oral mucosa. High concentrations of arsenic in water can have an adverse effect on health particularly skin and other tissues of the body, including tongue, gingiva, and buccal mucosa. Without access to clean water, people living in developing and underdeveloped countries may suffer oral health deterioration well into their adulthood. This results in tooth loss, periodontitis, and even mouth cancer. Air pollution influences the development of cleft palate in some kinds of animals. There is evidence from the epidemiologic data on the relation of prenatal air pollution exposure and the risk of oral clefts. Oral precancer and cancer are complex multi-factorial diseases arising from the interplay between the genetic components and the environmental determinants. Environmental exposures in farmers can be explained by solar exposure. This study mainly focuses that air and water pollution produces serious effects in oral health for living organisms, especially in humans.