Lincoln Daily News 2026-27 Health & Wellness Magazine Pg.5 The article also states that poor dental hygiene can be linked to high-risk pregnancies. The article cites a study published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, a peer-reviewed academic journal. According to this study, “women with periodontal disease are six times more likely to give birth prematurely.” It goes on to say that a specific bacterium, fusobacterium nucleatum, has been found in amniotic fluid, placenta, and the membranes of babies born prematurely. With all these diseases, and more, linked to poor oral hygiene, what can be done to maintain good oral health? According to Dr. Walker, brushing and flossing are the two most important things you can do, “... especially flossing.” Flossing is something that, according to a survey, most adults forget to do. Results from the 2014 Delta Dental Oral Health and WellBeing Survey showed that around 40 percent of Americans floss their teeth daily, with one in five people reporting that they never floss. Flossing is an extremely important part of dental health, however. The Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics published an article going into detail on why it is so important. According to the article, while brushing does a good job at cleaning the "visible surfaces” of teeth, it does not do such a good job cleaning between teeth. Flossing helps to remove food particles and bacteria that get left behind after brushing. These bacteria can become plaque, and if left alone, this plaque can become tartar. The article states that “tartar can’t be brushed away and needs to be removed by a dentist or hygienist during a cleaning.” According to the article, if tartar is left untreated, it can lead to gum inflammation, infection, and then eventually, gum disease. Regularly seeing a dentist is also an important part of maintaining good oral hygiene. According to Dr. Walker, that means making two to three appointments per year. This is something not enough adults do. While the numbers are better than flossing, there still seems to be a large portion of the U.S. population that does not go to see their dentist at least once per year. According to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from 2019 to 2020, the percentage of people who saw the dentist at least once in a 12-month period decreased from 65.5 percent to 62.7 percent. The study did account for the fact that many things, like dentist office hours, were disrupted during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so that decrease should be taken with a grain
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