A dental hygienists role in Pakistan: reduction of overall systemic disease
Abstract
Sabrina P. Heglund* and Ali Sadiq
Dental hygiene, as acknowledged in North America, is a relatively new idea in Pakistan. The country’s statistics on diabetes, preterm low birth weight babies, oral cancers and obesity is high. Relating oral health to systemic health may facilitate the acceptance of dental hygiene as a preventive therapy for systemic diseases and also in early detection of otherwise disfiguring oral cancers. This paper intends to reconnect inflammation in the oral cavity to inflammation driven systemic diseases and outcomes in the rest of the body. Prevention of oral disease may ameliorate the initiation or perpetuation of systemic diseases or associated negative health outcomes. Dental hygienists graduating from the Diploma in Dental Hygiene Program at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan have embarked on this journey. The Aga Khan University is an independent research university that supports student and faculty research with interdisciplinary support through strength in research and excellence in education. (https://www.aku.edu/about/at-a-glance/Pages/our-vision.aspx, accessed May 2, 2017)