GUM DISEASE IS PREVENTABLE
Gingivitis is the first sign of early periodontal disease. It plays a potential role on a wide range of systemic diseases in addition to heart disease. Basic mechanisms that relate periodontitis and systemic diseases .. metastatic infections, inflammation, adaptive and inflammatory injury. Inflammation develops via a microbial biofilm through inflammatory mediators into the blood causing tissue damage and inflammation leading to periodontitis.
Severe periodontitis pose a threat to several systemic diseases and conditions to name a few are… Heart disease, Stroke, Diabetes, Rheumatoid arthritis, Oral cancer, Pancreatic cancer, Colon cancer, COPD, Renal disease, Brain abscesses, Pre-mature babies. Studies have shown people with periodontitis have a higher risk of stroke compared to people with no history of periodontitis.
Periodontitis plays a major role in patients with diabetes, they are at a greater risk for mortality from cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research states that people with noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus(type2) are three times more likely to develop periodontal disease compared to nondiabetic individuals. Severe periodontitis including alveolar bone loss is a precursor to Rheumatoid Arthritis according to recent study.
Harvard school released a study stating men with periodontal disease are at a higher risk of pancreatic cancer. A study from Case Western University states that a strain of bacteria which is known to cause periodontal disease is found abundantly in tissues from colorectal cancer patients.
In conclusion periodontal disease contribute to several systemic disease… changing your oral hygiene habits and having a routine check up with your dentist can change your lives for good and reduce the risk of some life threatening diseases.
It’s a great deal to think outside the box… saving teeth saves lives !!