Germ warfare in dental chair
6/3/2007 Sacremento, CA Dorsey Griffith Sacramento Bee (www.sacbee.com) A developing health science aims to prevent disease by focusing on mouth bacteria You might be surprised to learn that the microscopic bugs around your teeth that cause gum disease may also contribute to tongue cancer, medical researchers recently reported. Such a link would not, however, shock the legions of oral health professionals paid to clean teeth and gums, restore teeth and scare patients into flossing daily. Mounting evidence linking gum disease and other physical ailments is bucking the long-held notion that the mouth and body should be treated as separate entities by different kinds of doctors. "For a long time, dentists really saw themselves as drilling and filling and didn't look at the ecological causes of oral health and how important it is in our total well-being," said Jennifer Holtzman, associate professor at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry. "Dentists are now finding themselves in the position of being able to prevent tooth decay and really take a lead role in helping people manage their own health." Scientists already have associated periodontal disease with heart disease, diabetes, respiratory illness and several pregnancy-related problems including infertility, preeclampsia, and premature and low-birth weight babies. The science is young and inconclusive, however. What's not yet known is whether diseased gums actually cause or contribute to other illnesses, and whether prevention of periodontal disease -- through regular exams, cleaning and good oral hygiene -- could actually prevent or lessen the effects of other [...]