Newly research supports link between periodontitis and systemic diseases.

July 27, 2021

We’ve often pointed out the link between oral health and your overall systemic health. Over the past two decades, mounting evidence has supported periodontitis as a potential risk factor for multiple systemic diseases. A breakthrough new research paper, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Its Systemic Impact: Current Status, published in the journal Pathogens, traces the menacing path of P. gingivalis to many of our most life-threatening diseases.

For the first time, the paper links together some common denominators in major diseases like atherosclerosis, cancer, autoimmune problems, Alzheimer’s and host of other diseases. The authors systematically review the literature on P. gingivalis-related systemic diseases that affect the whole body, as well as the internal mechanisms.

There’s considerable epidemiological evidence, they report, of periodontal pathogens’ presence in cardiovascular plaques as well as links between periodontitis and hypertension, digestive, oral, esophageal and pancreatic cancers. They also explain the mechanisms by which periodontal bacteria are linked to such wide-ranging diseases as oral and throat cancers, Alzheimer’s Disease, diabetes and even depression. More and more, other medical fields such as obstetrics and rheumatology are realizing the role P. gingivalis might play in causing or increasing the incidence and progression of diseases.

What can we do to improve overall health outcomes? A great deal, says Dr. Mark Cannon, a Chicago-area pediatric dentist and a noted researcher with Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Dentistry at the Fienberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Cannon has studied the relationship between oral health and disease for decades. In addition to regular dental checkups and consistent flossing and brushing, Dr. Cannon points to oral-care probiotics to help prevent dental health issues before they turn into health-threatening risks. “Products such as ProBiora Health’s oral-care probiotics replenish the beneficial bacteria and crowd out the harmful bacteria we all have in our mouths,” recommends Dr. Cannon. “That simple process can balance the patient’s oral microbiome, helping the oral cavity to work as it should.”

Porphyromonas gingivalis and Its Systemic Impact: Current Status confirms what we’ve always said: A healthy body starts with a healthy mouth. It’s reassuring to know that a simple ProBiora Health oral-care probiotic mint, once a day, can help patients avoid a host of problems and enjoy continuing optimal oral health.