 Overview
Picture a world where dentists are the entry point to the health care system. Seem far-fetched? Not necessarily.
The information resources listed below lay out an increasingly large body of knowledge supporting possible associations, though not proven cause-and-effect relationships, between periodontitis and some systemic diseases or conditions. Researchers have found that periodontitis and other health problems such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and bacterial pneumonia are associated. Studies also suggest that pregnant women who have periodontitis may be at increased risk for delivering a pre-term and/or low birth weight baby. It is important to note, however, that an association between these systemic conditions and periodontal disease does not mean that one condition causes the other. Well-controlled, blinded clinical studies are required to establish a cause-and-effect relationship and to determine if, or how, treating periodontal disease may affect systemic health. What we do know is that people with diabetes and people who smoke are at increased risk for developing periodontal disease.
Although it’s not clear if treating oral disease will improve specific health problems, we do know that oral health is important for overall health and vice versa. Opinion leaders in dentistry are calling on their colleagues to take advantage of their unique relationships with their patients to monitor blood pressure and cholesterol levels and offer smoking cessation counseling. And salivary diagnosis may one day be a key tool in health assessment. A wide range of proteins, nucleic acids, hormones, pharmaceuticals and pathogens can be measured in saliva, making it an excellent candidate for rapid detection and screening of biomarkers for conditions like caries, periodontal disease, osteoporosis, infectious diseases and cancer.
These developments should be welcomed, not dreaded, by the profession as a means to enhance dentistry’s stature and emphasize the importance of regular dental visits. See the resources below for detailed information.
General Resources
Patient Resources
ADA.org also offers information for patients on the oral-systemic association
on the A-Z Public Topic: Oral-Systemic Health.
ADA Catalog—Brochures
The patient education brochures listed below can be ordered online through the ADA Catalog.
Topical Resources
Diabetes
Endocarditis
Heart Disease
Joint Replacement
Pregnancy
Reproductive Health
Smoking Cessation
Stroke
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