The Oral-Systemic Disease Connection
In 1981, when I graduated from dental school, the scientific literature told us that bacteria under the gum caused bone loss (periodontal disease) and teeth could be lost. We could only tell patients that they would eventually lose their teeth if they did not treat their gum disease. I have since observed that gum disease was often much greater in both a husband and wife than you would otherwise expect; if one had it, usually, the other had it. I observed that people with gum disease over 40 seemed to have a lot of other health problems, but it was not proven there was a connection. We also observed patients with healthy mouths seemed to be healthy in general. As a dental professional, we could not speculate based on just anecdotal information, but could only tell patients what had been proven in the scientific literature.
Those days have come and gone. Now, it is well documented in the scientific literature that the mouth is the portal or entry way to infection in the body. Infected teeth (severe decay) and bacteria under the gum is the path for bacteria to enter the bloodstream, the same as an untreated, open cut. These bacteria cause an inflammatory state in the bloodstream triggering the immune system to respond. This response leads to a long list of systemic diseases. For example, in heart disease, the immune system lays down “plaque “ in the coronary arteries, closing off the passage of blood to the heart, similar to what past president Bill Clinton recently had surgery for. He ended up having stints inserted to hold his arteries open. So, we ask, does Mr. Clinton floss? This inflammatory state in the bloodstream makes a person at higher risk for heart disease, much like obesity. Similarly, it makes people at higher risk for diabetes, Alzheimer’s, respiratory disease, low birth weight babies in pregnant females, and pancreatic cancer. That’s what we know so far, and the list is sure to increase. Curiously, we hear all the health risks about obesity, but nothing about gum disease beyond that you’ll possibly lose your teeth. Wouldn’t it make sense to treat an obvious cause rather than wait to have heart surgery, for example? Consider also that surgeons often will not perform surgeries on patients that have gum disease or dental infections, as the patient’s risk is so much higher. There is even a blood test now that detects levels of C-reaction protein secreted by the liver. If this is high, the indication is that you have inflammation in your bloodstream linked to periodontal disease, and the treatment is to treat and control your gum disease and dental infections. Additionally, it is proven that gum disease is communicable between any two people exchanging oral or salivary fluids. Thus, if your husband or wife has gum disease, you most likely will too.
We have a long way to go to teaching the public the importance of taking care of their oral health. I have always strived to keep the patients in my practice as healthy as possible by taking the individual time to explain the importance of oral health and I hope you share with your friends and family how important it is.
As always, we thank you for your referral of family, friends and colleagues to our practice. It is the greatest gift you can give us and, in return, you have our promise to treat them with the same care and professionalism as we show you.
As a final note, we have a link on our website for contributions to the struggling people in Haiti and the Red Cross. We invite you to share your good fortune with those who are in desperate need for assistance.
