GUM DISEASE, THE COMORBID COMPANION
Gum disease is considered the most common medical condition in the world, according to the Guinness book of Records.
One in three humans have some form of it.
It has been confirmed to co-exist alongside or to be responsible for many diseases of the body.
Recent studies reveal that the guilty parties behind many systemic illnesses include a posse of oral bacteria which are the main actors of gum disease. Their names?
Proteus gingivalis (PG), Bacteroides oralis, Eikenella corrodens, Fuso bacterium nucleatum, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (AA), Peptostreptococcus and Clostridium and even Streptococcus viridans.
Current thinking advises the need to control gum disease as a preventive pillar in the management of the following medical conditions:
Alzheimers, respiratory disease, chronic kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cognitive impairment, obesity, metabolic syndrome (which includes diabetes and thyroid disease), and cancer.
We require that our patients get their gum disease under control within the first three to six dental visits at our practice, ideally over a six-month period.
We also recommend that as dentists we must consult with the patients medical specialist to watch the improvement of their systemic condition as the periodontal disease improves.
