Oral Health and General Health – What are the Connections?
Periodontitis and Other Diseases

There is emerging evidence for associations between periodontal diseases and chronic obstructive airways disease, chronic kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cognitive impairment, obesity, metabolic syndrome and some cancers. To date, the only evidence for causality is in relation to respiratory microorganisms that colonize the oral/periodontal biofilm and may subsequently cause a hospital-acquired pneumonia (nosocomial pneumonia) in ventilated patients.

• Plausibility – respiratory pathogens arising from oral/periodontal biofilm reservoirs may be aspirated in certain risk patients within hospital environments and result in a nosocomial pneumonia.
• Epidemiological data – available data supports a role for the oral/periodontal biofilm acting as a reservoir for respiratory pathogens in patients with poor oral hygiene and periodontitis, which may cause nosocomial pneumonia.
• Intervention studies – randomized controlled trials strongly support a role for improving oral hygiene in the prevention of nosocomial pneumonias in acute care hospital environments and nursing homes.