Taking care of your teeth isn't just about having a nice smile and pleasant breath. Recent research has found a number of links between oral health and overall health.
Oral Health and Diabetes
Doctors have known for years that type 2 diabetics have an increased incidence of periodontitis, or gum disease. There are already a few theories about why this might be the case: One proposes that when infections in your mouth get bad enough, they can lead to low-grade inflammation throughout your body, which in turn wreaks havoc on your sugar-processing abilities. There are all kinds of inflammatory molecules and it's believed that maybe some attach to insulin receptors and prevent the body's cells from using the insulin to get glucose into the cell.
Oral Health and Heart Disease
As with diabetes, the connection between poor oral health and cardiovascular conditions has been recognized. One reason is that there are a number of other potential risk factors — such as smoking and old age — that can lead both to gum disease and heart disease.One theory about why this may occur, says is that small amounts of bacteria enter your bloodstream while you're chewing. "Bad" bacteria from an infected mouth may lodge itself inside blood vessels, ultimately causing dangerous blockages.
Pregnancy Complications and Gum Disease
For many pregnant women, gum infections stem from the fluctuating hormone levels that come with pregnancy. Others neglect their oral care during pregnancy, since they have much on their minds. But that's a mistake. Scientists believe that gum disease or inflammation in the mouth possibly triggers an increase in a chemical compound called prostaglandin, which induces early labor. A study found that pregnant women who develop gum disease between weeks 21 and 24 are four to seven times more likely to give birth before week 37. There is evidence that poor gum health in the extreme can lead to low birth weight as well.
Pneumonia and Gum Disease
Since the lungs are very close to the mouth and even in a healthy mouth there is lots of bacteria, but bacteria in a not-healthy mouth can get aspirated into the lungs, causing pneumonia or aggravating COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. Several intervention studies cited by the CDC show that an improvement in oral health can lead to a reduction in respiratory infection.
Pancreatic cancer and Gum disease
According to a study,it is found that having a history of periodontal disease was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. This, according to the study, could be because of systemic inflammation or increased levels of carcinogenic compounds produced in the infected mouth.