The Science of Dentistry

Oral Systemic Health

Your mouth is the gateway to your body, and can affect the health of the rest of your body. Did you know that more than 6 billion bacteria are present inside the mouth?

Knee

Want healthy knees? Then you better floss your teeth.  Yes, you read that right. Scientists have found traces of gum bacteria in the knees of people with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, adds more evidence of the link between poor oral health and poor health in general.

HPV Virus

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), once almost exclusively associated with cancer of the cervix, is now linked to head and neck cancer. Furthermore, according to a new UB study just published in the Archives of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, a JAMA publication, gum disease is associated with increased odds of tumors being HPV-positive.

Nutrition Tips

Healthy mouths are a great indicator of healthy bodies. Besides maintaining good oral hygiene, you can give back to your dental duo by consuming foods that improve gum and tooth integrity.

Wasabi

The food we eat starts out in our mouths. But when it comes to nutrition, we think about every other body part first.

Eating Disorders and Teeth

There indeed is a connection between eating disorders and dental health.  Exploring it may uncover some uncomfortable issues but it is important to do so in order to make sure your children are healthy.  Dental (tooth) erosion can be a sign of bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder characterized by food binges followed by self-induced vomiting.

Blood Pressure Screening

Hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, is the most common primary diagnosis in the United States. It is a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), an increasingly prevalent public health concern. A staggering 80 million people are recognized as having some type of CVD. Even more noteworthy, a significant proportion of people are unaware of their disease.

Obestiy and Gum Disease

A group of researchers from the Case Western University School of Dental Medicine found that people are better able to fend off  gum disease when inflammation triggering fat cells are lost from the body.

Mouth Body Connection

White teeth and fresh breath are a dental care bonus, but the real payoff of proper daily cleaning and dental checkups is healthy gums. Healthy gums equal healthy teeth and a whole lot more.

Gum Disease And Weight Loss

Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine researchers found the human body is better at fighting gum disease when fat cells, which trigger inflammation, disappear.

Pneumonia Link Oral Hygiene

Those who don’t brush their teeth regularly may be putting themselves at greater risk of contracting pneumonia.

Periodontists  regularly to keep  gum disease under control and in the process may help alleviate  arthritis symptoms.

Even if you brush your teeth daily, you may still have dangerous bacteria growing inside your mouth. Not only could that lead to periodontitis (an advanced form of gum disease that comes with symptoms such as bleeding when you brush and gum pain), but studies also find a link between poor oral hygiene and major health issues. Here are some ways that missing the mark on oral care could harm your heath.

Erectile Dysfunction

Gum disease may have an impact on the ability to achieve an erection, the British Dental Health Foundation has reported.  The independent charity based its report on the latest research published in the Journal of Periodontology and suggests that the cause of erectile dysfunction could be oral bacteria passing into the bloodstream.

Mouth Body Connection

Bad teeth can pose more of a health problem to a person than just an aesthetics problem.   More and more studies indicate that the health of the teeth and gums can affect the health of the whole body, and inflamed gums (periodontitis) can especially negatively affect the health of the whole body.   The chronic inflammation weakens the immune system, and is an increased risk of diabetes, heart attacks , rheumatism and lung diseases.

Shocking. One word that sums up the latest study conducted by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. According to their research, chronic periodontal disease indicated, strangely, by missing molars, appears to be associated statistically with breast cancer.

In a study, Identification of unrecognized diabetes and pre-diabetes in a dental setting, published in the July 2011 issue of the Journal of Dental Research, researchers at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine found that dental visits represented a chance to intervene in the diabetes epidemic by identifying individuals with diabetes or pre-diabetes who are unaware of their condition. The study sought to develop and evaluate an identification protocol for high blood sugar levels in dental patients and was supported by a research grant from Colgate-Palmolive. The authors report no potential financial or other conflicts.

A chronic inflammatory disease of the gingiva and periodontium results in destruction of gingival connective tissue, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. Clinically, inflammation is seen as redness, swelling, and bleeding upon probing. However, at molecular and cellular levels, the inflammatory process is defined by cellular infiltrates and the release of a variety of cytokines. The main provoking factor that induces inflammation of gingival tissue is the presence of bacterial biofilm (dental plaque) on the teeth/gingival interfaces.

Do you eat breakfast every day?  Do you always take the stairs? Whatever your daily habits are, there’s no denying that they impact your health. Even though the things we do as part of our daily routines might seem small, over time the small things can add up. So, by keeping your daily habits healthy, you can literally add years to your life.

Can gum disease affect your heart’s health? The latest studies are suggesting so. Scientists have found that people with gum disease can be almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as healthy patients¹.  Other studies have shown that having common problems in oral health, such as gum disease, can be as good of a predictor of heart disease as cholesterol levels².

Any way you like it – unwaxed or extra-slippery, minty or plain – make a daily date with your dental floss. This fast, cheap investment in good health just got even better for you with the news that preventing gum disease helps you sidestep serious lung problems.

You are probably aware of the major risk factors for diabetes, including genetics, obesity and high blood pressure. However, what you may not realize is that periodontal health is also associated with diabetes.

Dental Health And Heart Disease

If you’ve been putting off that visit to the dentist, figuring if you don’t have a toothache there’s nothing to worry about, think again.  In addition to watching out for your teeth and gums, dentists also look for oral cancers and other health conditions that may announce themselves in your mouth.