More news on the oral-systemic link

According to the American Dental Association (ADA), good oral health is not a luxury, but essential to overall health. In “Actions for Dental Health,” the ADA outlines how dentists can make a difference in community health.(1)

They have goals for reducing the amount of tooth decay in children and adults, and for getting low-income children into care. Reducing trips to the emergency room for oral care, and working with community health centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are a part of the plan. Nursing home care, Give Kids A Smile, expansion of community water fluoridation, improved utilization of the existing safety net, and referring consumers to the ADA’s consumer website launched in July 2012.(2)

There is a “Dental Divide” infographic available for download.(3) Click here to view the infographic. Read more about the report to Congress.(4)

We know there is a link between oral disease and systemic disease. One study showed the relationship between change in periodontal clinical and microbiological status and progression of carotid atherosclerosis in The Oral Infections and Vascular Disease Epidemiology Study.(5)

They found that improvement in clinical and microbial periodontal status was related to a decreased rate of carotid artery intima‐medial thickness (CCA‐IMT) progression at 3‐year average follow‐up. For an editorial on this study, and for another perspective, read this article.(6)

It states: Important questions regarding this association remain unanswered: What is the nature of the association? Does one disease influence the pathogenesis of the other? How might the association influence treatment strategies?(6)

Other researchers acknowledge that there are reported links between periodontal disease and cardiovascular risk, but they feel there is insufficient data, especially from populations with established coronary heart disease. Their study describes self-reported indicators of periodontal disease and associations with cardiovascular risk factors in a global stable coronary heart disease population.(7)

Self-reported indicators of periodontal disease were common in this chronic coronary heart disease population and were associated with an increasing socioeconomic and cardiovascular risk factor burden. However, they feel that causality between self-reported periodontal disease and cardiovascular risk and outcome needs further investigation.

Poor dental health has been shown to be an independent risk factor for mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease, according to results released at the 51st Congress of the European Renal Association–European Dialysis and Transplant Association.(8)