Vol. XIX, No.3, Summer 2011
By Richard A. Weiler, Jr., D.D.S.
In the 1930s and 40s a theory, Focus of Infection, proposed that a physical ailment anywhere in the body was triggered, instigated, or directly caused by disease in a central location called the Focus. That Focus was the oral cavity.
Theoretically, if you had stomach pain or ulcer, extraction of an offending tooth would resolve it.
Eventually, with the understanding of bacteria, the advent of antibiotics and diagnostic tests, that theory was dismissed.
But now the pendulum is swinging back to where we regard the oral cavity as an extremely critical and central component of our general health; the portal of health, if you will.
Periodontal disease, gingivitis, or “bleeding gums” is primarily an inflammatory disease where the gingiva or gums no longer can adequately repress the number or type of microbes that are harbored around the necks of the teeth in a sticky matrix called plaque. As with a splinter lodged in a finger, tissues swell, get sore and easily rupture and bleed. The underlying bone, not protected by a healthy barrier of the gums, weakens and teeth loosen or are lost.
But that’s not the end of it.
A Chilean physical therapist, Marianno Rocobado, studied mountain peasants with periodontal disease. He discovered that when they chewed, they literally pumped a “blast of bacteria” through the inflamed and compromised tissue into their blood stream. It’s called systemic bacteremia.
Ten years ago, Johns Hopkins University found that the DNA in oral plaque was the same DNA in the plaque of the coronary arteries. It became apparent that the more plaque in the mouth, the more around the heart and its vessels.
Now, for certain cardiac or orthopedic procedures such as hip and knee replacements, patients are required to acquire and maintain good oral and periodontal health to get clearance for surgery.
Studies also have shown that arthritis and obstructive pulmonary disease are exacerbated by the presence of periodontal disease. Inflammation in the oral cavity is correlated with inflammation elsewhere in the body as well.
The oral cavity can be a barometer of general health. Diabetes, fungal infections, malnutrition, leukemia, basal and squamous cell cancers and others can manifest themselves with signs or symptoms in the oral cavity.
So, as we age, our priorities may pass from having a glistening, glowing white smile. But striving to maintain a healthy and properly functioning oral cavity is paramount, as it is the gateway to general health and well being.
(Dr. Weiler is a principal of Weiler, Walkley & Associates in Harwich, 508-430-0505.)