Abstract

AYURVEDIC ROUTINES TO MAINTAIN ORAL HEALTH AND PREVENT COMMON ORAL DISEASES

Arunima N. S.* and Sanoop K.

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Abstract

Oral health is integral to general well-being and relates to the quality of life. Oral health has long been neglected in global health, but many oral diseases can be prevented and treated with cost-effective measures. The most common oral diseases are dental caries (Tooth decay), severe gum disease, tooth loss, and oral cancers. Untreated dental caries is the single most common condition globally, affecting an estimated 2.5 billion people. Severe gum disease – a major cause of total tooth loss – is estimated to affect 1 billion people worldwide. About 380000 new cases of oral cancers are diagnosed every year. However, standard Western medicine has had limited success in preventing gum disease and treating various oral diseases. Here comes the importance of traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda where natural phytochemicals isolated from plants are used and considered good alternatives to synthetic chemicals. The medicinal plants used in Ayurveda and their methods of use have been proven to be safe and effective, through thousands of years of use. According to the father of Surgery Acharya Sushruta, 65 varieties of oral diseases can arise in seven anatomic locations- 08 on the lips, 15 on the gums, 08 in connection with the teeth, 05 on the tongue, 09 on the palate, 17 in the oropharynx and 03 in a generalized form. Ayurveda Acharyas has explained its preventive measures in general and the treatment for curable oral diseases (out of 65 oral diseases, 19 are incurable) in particular. The exploration and the practice of Ayurvedic routines may lead to the development of novel preventive or therapeutic strategies for oral health. The present review is focused on the various Ayurvedic routines to maintain oral health and prevent common oral diseases.

Keywords: Ayurvedic daily routines (Dinacharya), Mukharoga, oral health, common oral diseases.