If you have periodontal disease, you may have more to risk than loss of your natural teeth. Medical and dental professionals have long suspected that oral infections can have an adverse effect on other organs of the body. Recent studies investigating the association between periodontal disease and other health problems and advanced medical and dental technology have greatly expanded our understanding of various disease processes. From the insight provided by these studies and technologies, we now recognize that periodontal, or gum, disease may be a potential risk factor for many health problems. Periodontal disease may put you at increased risk of such diseases as heart disease, diabetes and respiratory tract diseases. And, if you are a pregnant woman, you may also be at risk of pre-term delivery of a low-birth-weight baby. Obviously, these health problems are of concern to all health care professionals, including periodontists.

Several recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between periodontal disease and infectious endocarditis, coronary artery disease and stroke. Researchers believe that if you have been diagnosed with periodontal disease, the normal act of brushing your teeth or chewing can allow bacteria, or germs, to enter your bloodstream.
    These bacteria are then carried via the bloodstream through the body. They attach themselves to fatty acids and build up on arteries, or they contribute to the formation of clots. Researchers have found that if you have periodontal disease, you will be twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease than a person who is free of periodontal disease.

For years, physicians and dental professionals have known of the two-way relationship between diabetes and periodontal health.
    Because periodontal disease is an infection, it can cause changes in levels of blood sugar. If you are a diabetic and you have periodontal disease, these alterations may make it difficult for you to control your blood sugar level.
    Studies have also shown that the prevalence of periodontal disease is greater in diabetics than in non-diabetics, probably because diabetics are more susceptible to contracting infections. In fact, diabetics also lose more teeth than non-diabetics. Implied in these study findings is that controlling your periodontal disease may help you control your diabetes and vice versa.

A growing body of research is beginning to show a new risk factor for respiratory tract infection—periodontal disease.
    If you have periodontal disease, you may be at increased risk of respiratory tract disease. For years, health care and dental professionals have known that health problems decrease the immune function in the geriatric population. Therefore, if you are elderly, you are at risk of the development of respiratory tract diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, emphysema and pneumonia.
    Current thinking based on scientific findings is that you can acquire bacterial respiratory tract infections by aspiration or inhalation of fine droplets from the mouth and throat into the lungs, or the upper respiratory tract. These droplets contain bacteria that originate in the oral cavity. Once in the lungs, these bacteria can breed and multiply to cause infection such as pneumonia.
    Recent research suggests that bacteria found in the throat as well as bacteria found in the mouth can also be drawn into the lower respiratory tract, causing infections or worsening existing lung conditions. If you have a respiratory tract disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, you will have reduced protective systems that make it difficult to eliminate bacteria from the lungs.
    More research is being conducted to further elucidate the association between periodontal disease and respiratory tract infections.

If you are pregnant, the hormonal changes you are undergoing will make you particularly prone to periodontal disease. And, according to research findings, if you have periodontal disease and you are pregnant, you may be at higher risk of deliveringa pre-term low-birth-weight infant, that is, an infant born before the 37th week of pregnancy.
    For several years, the link between infection—particularly genitourinary tract infection—and the delivery of pre-term low-birth-weight infants has been the subject of research. Based on the findings of this research, it appears that genitourinary tract infection causes a rapid increase in the levels of biological fluids that normally induce labor. This rapid increase leads to premature delivery. Researchers suspect that periodontal disease, which is also a bacterial infection, could trigger a similar increase in these fluid levels, thereby inducing premature labor.
    Scientists have documented an association between infection, especially genitourinary tract infection, and adverse outcomes of pregnancy in both animal and human studies. A recent study of periodontal infection in pregnant and postpartum women found that the likelihood of delivering a pre-term low-birth-weight infant was greater in women with periodontal disease than in those without periodontal disease. These intriguing results have prompted medical professionals to urge that additional investigations be done in this area.
    No known risk factor—such as tobacco use, genetics, drug and alcohol use, level of prenatal care, nutrition and urinary tract infection—is identified for 25% of deliveries of pre-term low-birth-weight infants. It is important to know how much periodontal disease contributes to the unexplained risk of delivery of pre-term low-birth-weight infants. Several studies are underway to assess this link.
    Dr. Becker can provide you with updated findings in all these areas as they may affect you. He wants you to be aware of the general health risks linked to your periodontal disease.