Oral Health in Alaska

Alaska is one of the largest state in the United States of America, about 2.3 times the size of Texas and about one-fifth the size of the Lower 48 states. Alaska has about 640,000 residents occupying 570,374 square miles, or 365,039,104 acres of land. As a young state, Alaska developed so many programs, as well in the Oral Health field, especially because Alaska is so wide with the variety population and spread in the whole Alaska bush, this program become very challenging. Historically a number of studies documented the low decay rates in Alaskan Native population. The traditional diet of natives in almost Alaska was rich in protein and fats and very low in sugars or other fermentable carbohydrates. The change of diets in native population also high rates soda consumption, with limited access to drinking water with fluoridation completing with limited access to dental provider in the rural Alaska are factor contributing to high rates of dental decay in Alaska.

Oral Health

Oral health is fundamental to systemic health, wellbeing and quality of life. Mouth is the first gate through the body, a healthy mouth enables people to eat, speak, breath and socialize without any embarrassment. Poor oral health will impact these abilities and also affecting the systemic health.The prevalence and recurrences of these impacts constitutes silent epidemic. The interaction between oral infection and systemic health was first described in Ancient Egypt and the concept of focal infection dates back more than a hundred years. Knowledge about the link between oral disease and systemic diseases are growing rapidly.
Increasing evidence is available from many investigators to indicate the Oral infection (including periodontitis, caries) as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (arthrosclerosis, bacterial endocarditic), diabetes mellitus, low birth weight infants and pulmonary diseases, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, renal disease and off course oral cancer.
Both epidemiologists and researchers in oral microbiology have contributed significantly to the new paradigm of periodontal disease. Although additional studies are needed to determine the mechanisms by which such associations exist; available research clearly demonstrates that oral diseases and conditions are not only markers for underlying health problems, but also important determinants influencing the development and management of adverse chronic health conditions.