Section: Oral Systemic Link

Periodontal disease and diabetes mellitus are common, chronic diseases worldwide. Current evidence suggests that periodontal disease adversely affects diabetes outcomes, and that further longitudinal studies are warranted.

Although this review found a modest reduction in Haemobglobin A1C (HbA1c) as a result of periodontal therapy in subjects with type 2 diabetes, there is limited confidence in the conclusion due to a lack of multi-centre trials of sufficient sample size.

Maternal periodontitis directly and/or indirectly have potential to influence the health of the foetal-maternal unit. Two major pathways have been identified, one direct, in which oral microorganisms and/or their components reach the foetal-placental unit, and one indirect, in which inflammatory mediators circulate and impact the foetal-placental unit. Given the current evidence, various treatment strategies could ... Read more

There is still debate regarding potential relationships between maternal periodontitis during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This review concludes maternal periodontitis is modestly but independently associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, but the findings are impacted by periodontitis case definitions. The authors suggest that future studies employ both continuous and categorical assessments of periodontal status. Additional, ... Read more

Preterm infants are at greater risk than term infants for physical and developmental disorders. Mobidity and mortality increases as gestational age at delivery decreases. Observational studies indicate an association between poor periodontal health and risk for preterm birth or low birthweight, making periodontitis a potentially modifiable risk factor for prematurity. This study determines that non-surgical ... Read more

Bacterial-induced gingival low-level inflammation induced a systemic increase in inflammatory markers, which are also known as surrogate markers of atherosclerotic plaque development. Dental hygiene almost completely reversed this experimental inflammatory process, suggesting that appropriate dental prophylaxis may also limit systemic markers of inflammation with natural gingivitis.

Periodontal infection itself does not cause atherosclerosis, but it accelerates it by inducing systemic inflammation and deterioriating lipd metabolism, particularly when underlying hyperlidemia or susceptibility to hyperlipidemia exists, and it may contribute to the development of coronary heart disease.

Should oral health and systemic health actually be considered two different entities? We propose that the associations between oral diseases and other diseases elsewhere in the body be discussed within the context of oral and overall health, much in the same way a physician would. Even if we began using the words ‘oral’ and ‘non-oral’ ... Read more

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disease characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. This disease occurs in 3% of pregnant women in developing countries and remains one of the major causes of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity throughout the world The study results indicate that preeclampsia could be associated with the maternal periodontal condition and interdental cleaning. ... Read more

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the principal cause of a distinct form of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma that is increasing in incidence among men in the United States. Human papillomavirus–positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) are associated with sexual behavior in contrast to HPV-negative OSCCs that are associated with chronic tobacco and alcohol use. At least ... Read more