Mask use does not cause oral pathologies
Mask causes bad breath (halitosis)
Due to the current sanitary situation, Dental-Office.org recommends the population wear a mask since no scientific evidence shows its relation with the appearance of oral pathologies.
Millions of bacteria belonging to more than 300 families live together in our mouths. The lack of oxygen could alter this balance called symbiosis to give rise to an imbalance (dysbiosis) in which certain oral bacteria more
pathogens could develop and predominate. However, it is doubtful that this lack of oxygen would occur under the usual conditions of mask use.
In this sense, we can assure you that the mask and this supposed lack of oxygen are not the causes of halitosis (bad breath). For this reason, some people think that they have now developed this problem when the truth is that they already suffered from it before wearing the mask but had not
detected.
It should also be noted that masks deteriorate with use. Surgical masks, for example, must be discarded after 5 or 6 hours because otherwise, they will accumulate saliva, losing their effectiveness and increasing the bad smell.
The importance of extreme hygiene and maintaining healthy habits
Wearing a mask for several hours and not showing your mouth should not mean you must abandon your oral hygiene. On the contrary, adequate tooth brushing should be done at least twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, including interdental hygiene. We must remember that the oral mucosa is one of the entry routes of the coronavirus. Therefore, maintaining a healthy mouth is essential. In addition, now more than ever, it is necessary to take care of the toothbrush, wash our hands well before and after using it, clean it, rinse it and dry it, keep it protected in its cap, never share it, keep it away from the toilet (to avoid possible contamination) and do not store it together with other brushes but independently.
In the same way, healthy eating habits should be maintained, reducing sugar products as much as possible and avoiding the consumption of alcohol and tobacco.
Finally, and we always mention this, we recommend going to the dentist for any oral cavity disorder to address the problem as soon as possible. Most oral pathologies have a simple treatment if they are diagnosed early.
