By Sarah Green
KHI News Service
TOPEKA, May 7 The link between oral health and general health is a strong one.
Systemic diseases and conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease can have oral symptoms, said Dr. John Rapley, chairman of the periodontics department at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry.
Diabetes changes the body”s immune function, along with blood glucose levels and the cardiovascular system
all of which can contribute to periodontal, or gum, disease.
“There have been a tremendous number of studies both in dental and medical literature about the relationship,” Rapley said. “I don”t think anyone would argue that they”re inter-related.”
People age 35 and older are more likely to be diagnosed with periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease. So, when dentists see younger patients with the disease they sometimes will test for diabetes
“If you are a 30 years old, and female, and you”ve been diagnosed with severe periodontal disease, that”s unusual for someone that age,” Rapley said. “That could give you a hint that something else is going on.”
Cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and complications of HIV and AIDS also have been linked to oral health. And, periodontal disease increases a woman”s chance of delivering a pre-term, low birth-weight baby by 7 percent, Rapley said.
Beyond the links to other diseases and conditions, it”s important to maintain good oral health for obvious reasons such as the ability to eat, said Denise Maseman, chairwoman of the dental hygiene department at Wichita State University.
“When you have people losing their teeth, from cavities or gum disease, that changes their ability to eat, and it changes their ability to eat nutritious food,” Maseman said. “It can affect their overall health, especially if they can”t chew fruits and vegetables.”
Smoking and smokeless tobacco are also behaviors that can cause oral cancer and gum disease, Maseman and Rapley said.
“It has been shown in every study that smokers have more disease, more severe disease, and are less responsive to therapy, no matter what type of treatment is done,” Rapley said.
Most periodontal disease is relatively painless in early stages, so patients sometimes don”t know they have it, Rapley said. But he said dentists can use a small probe to gauge the bone level in the gums surrounding teeth to detect it. Bacteria and toxins can erode bone and gum tissue, leading to advanced stages of the disease.
Periodontal probes,
used with x-rays and check-ups, are
the best tools to diagnose gum disease and to otherwise monitor general dental health, Rapley said.
People without access to regular dental care often are diagnosed with advanced gum disease when they eventually seek care because they are in pain, Rapley said.
“We do find that those patients have significant periodontal disease by the time we see them because of the non-availability of care,” he said.
Brushing and flossing teeth from an early age, along with consistent check-ups, are the best prevention against periodontal disease, Rapley said.
-Sarah Green is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. She can be reached at
sgreen@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 118.