India, Aug. 25 -- For most people, a visit to the dentist begins when something hurts. A tooth aches, the gums bleed, or a problem becomes hard to ignore. Dr Puneet Batra, an orthodontist, academician, and specialist in craniofacial care and digital dentistry, believes the mouth can show signs of a problem before a patient feels anything wrong.

"The first whisper that there is something wrong in our health comes from the oral cavity," Dr Batra said in a recent episode of Voices for Clarity, hosted by paediatric dentist Dr Gauri Kalra. He pointed to bleeding gums, unhealed ulcers, and mobile teeth as warning signs and said the mouth can offer clues about wider health. The World Health Organisation estimates oral diseases affect nearly 3.7...