Gerald Rosen, D.D.S.


For most of us, having our gums bleed when we brush our teeth — often a sign of infected or unhealthy gum tissue — is just a minor inconvenience. Even the fact that periodontal problems cause bad breath and ultimately lead to receding gums and tooth loss may not be enough motivation to get us to floss daily and practice better oral hygiene.

New information may change that attitude. For example, gum disease, which affects 50 percent of people over age 50, has now been positively linked to a significantly greater likelihood of heart disease. Recent research points to a growing list of other health problems in which gum disease may play a role:

Stroke: There is a significantly greater likelihood of stroke in persons with gum disease.

Respiratory diseases: Bacteria from oral infections can lead to or exacerbate respiratory diseases like pneumonia in susceptible patients.

Organ transplant: Success of organ transplant procedures is negatively affected by gum disease.

Pancreatic cancer: The latest news is that men who have periodontal disease have a 63 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths. One possible reason is that bacteria responsible for gum loss produce nitrosamines, which are compounds known to cause cancer.

It is also known that people with chronic inflammation, particularly gum disease, produce chemical byproducts that get to the liver where a substance called C-reactive protein is produced. The higher your CRP levels, the greater your risk of all the above complications and diseases. Men with gingivitis (gum inflammation) have a 30 percent higher CRP level than men without gum disease.

On the flip side, some health conditions can raise the risk of gum disease:

Osteoporosis: Postmenopausal women who suffer from osteoporosis may lose bone support in the jaws, increasing their risk of periodontal disease.

Diabetes: Diabetics are more prone to infection, including gum disease, and therefore need to be even more diligent than the average person.

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