Keeping your teeth and gums healthy may lessen risks of:
Heart Disease
If you have gum (periodontal) disease, you may have a higher risk of heart disease. The germs that cause gum disease may also block arteries and lead to stroke.
Respiratory Disease
People with existing lung problems, weak immune systems, and elderly people are at higher risk of getting a lung infection from breathing in bacteria from the mouth.
Diabetes
Gum disease can make diabetes worse by making blood sugar harder to control. People with diabetes may have trouble getting gum disease to heal.
Premature Deliveries
Gum disease is linked to risk of premature and low birth weight babies. Researchers are working hard to find out more about this connection.
What you can do to prevent problems before they happen:
Keep your mouth healthy
Brush and floss teeth daily
Visit your dentist regularly
More details ....
Research suggests that the bacteria involved in gum disease can influence our general health in a variety of ways:
Studies in humans and animals have linked oral infection to pre-term low birth-weight (PLBW) babies [1, 2]. One study suggested that women with severe gum disease had more than seven times the risk of PLBW deliveries [3].
Other studies have found a link between periodontal disease and heart disease [4, 5, 6]. A national study of Canadians aged 36 - 69 years found that people with severe gum disease had between three and seven times the risk of fatal heart disease [7]
Gum infections have also been linked to stroke [8], chronic respiratory disease [9, 10] and aspiration pneumonia (the type of pneumonia that develops when people breath food or other contents from the mouth down into the lungs) [11] - particularly in the institutionalized elderly [12].
Resources and Services
For more information, contact your Community Oral Health Program or dentist.
References
Offenbacher S, Katz V et al. Periodontal infection as a possible risk factor for preterm low birth weight. J Periodontology 1996; 67 (suppl): 1103-1113
Dasanayake A. Poor periodontal health of the pregnant woman as a risk factor for low birth weight. Annals Periodontology 1998; 3: 206-212.
Offenbacher S, Jared H et al. Potential pathogenic mechanisms of periodontitis-associated pregnancy complications. Annals Periodontology 1998; 3: 233-250.
DeStefano F, Anda R et al. Dental disease and risk of coronary heart disease and mortality. BMJ 1993; 306: 688-691.
Joshipura K, Rimm E et al. Poor oral health and coronary heart disease. J Dental Research 1996; 75: 1631-1636.
Beck J, Garcia R et al. Periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. J Periodontology 1996: 67 (suppl): 1123-1136.
Morrison H, Ellison L, Taylor G. Periodontal disease and risk of fatal coronary heart and cerebrovascular diseases. J Cardiovascular Risk 1999; 6: 7-11.
Joshipura K, Ascherio A et al. The relationship between tooth loss and the incidence of stroke. Circulation 1999; 99: 1121.
Scannapieco F, Papadonatos G, Dunford R. Associations between oral conditions and respiratory disease in a national sample survey population. Annals Periodontology 1998; 3:251-256.
Hayes C, Sparrow D et al. The association between alveolar bone loss and pulmonary function: the VA dental longitudinal study. Annals Periodontology 1998; 3: 257-261
Scannapieco F, Mylotte J. Relationships between periodontal disease and bacterial pneumonia. J Periodontology 1996; 67 (Suppl): 1113-1121.
Mojon P, Budzt-Jorgensen E et al. Oral health and history of respiratory tract infection in institutionalized elders. Gerodontology 1997; 14: 9-16.
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