The Oral-Systemic Connection
A new paradigm between dentistry and medicine is now developing regarding patient care. As the oral-systemic connection is more clearly understood, dentists who are trained in diagnosing oral and periodontal disease will play a greater role in the overall health of their patients. Many times, the first signs of unnatural systemic health conditions reveal themselves in changes within the oral cavity.
Periodontal disease and chronic dental infection are associated with a doubled risk for heart attack. (39) The presence of periodontal disease before age 50 is the strongest predictor of mortality (no matter what the cause). (40) “The persistence and/or severity of periodontal disease is the strongest predictor of the presence and extent of advanced arterial disease of any risk factor yet identified.”
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