Gum Disease and Your Health

Over the recent years many scientific studies have noted relationships between periodontal gum disease and a number of medical conditions. I will not go into details on this page as you may search the web yourself: the information and the number of published studies is ever increasing. For a few samples, I will list medical conditions and sample links for you. You may make a search under 'gum disease' and any medical condition of interest to you to see if a relationship has been determined. [ e.g. gum disease and stroke ]

Heart Disease and Stroke: http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.heart.htm

(Dr. Oz in the news) http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/09/12/dr-ozs-advice-brush-your-teeth-to-prevent-a-heart-attack/

http://www.dentalwellness4u.com/dentaldisease/stroke.html

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/periodontal-disease-heart-health

Diabetes: http://www.perio.org/consumer/mbc.diabetes.htm

Pancreatic Cancer: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/60977.php

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/16/AR2007011601104.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070116205547.htm

Women's Issues: http://www.perio.org/consumer/women.htm

Pregnancy: http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/health_wellness/preexisting_conditions/article/gum-disease-complications

Knee and Hip Replacements: http://www.orthoassociates.com/SP11B42/

It is common that an orthopedist will request a 'Dental Clearance' from your general dentist or periodontist prior to scheduling a joint replacement procedure. There is proven scientific evidence that bacteria from your gum tissues can migrate through the blood stream under specific conditions. Orthopedists do not want to take the risk that an infection in the mouth might adversely affect the success of your joint replacement.