The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va., story headlined “Ailing teeth and gums can affect whole body” (slug FB-Ailing-teeth-and-gums-can-affect-whole-body-THINGS-TO-WATCH-OUT-FOR-0208), moved by McClatchy-Tribune Regional News for Feb. 8, incorrectly reported in the fourth graf the job title of Misty Mesimer, a registered dental hygienist.

Feb. 8–We’ve long known that poor dental hygiene can lead to tooth decay, painful cavities and losing friends due to bad breath. But dentists say few people are aware that bad dental habits also can lead to serious conditions like heart disease.

A report issued by the surgeon general in 2000 detailed how poor oral health is highly correlated with oral cancer, diabetes, heart disease and, for women, premature or low-birth-weight babies. Subsequent studies have indicated that people with periodontal disease are at greater risk of suffering a heart attack.

There may not be a cause-and-effect relationship between poor hygiene and the diseases mentioned in the surgeon general’s report — the connection is still being studied.

But the correlation is important, said Misty Mesimer, a registered dental hygienist and local coordinator for the Germanna Community College dental hygiene program.

“We don’t know if poor dental hygiene leads directly to diseases, but having periodontal disease is not going to help your outcome of avoiding heart disease,” Mesimer said. “It’s one more infection that your body has to fight.”

Mesimer said the surgeon general’s report has shaped the way the dental program trains its students.

“In the curriculum at Germanna, students actually deal with patients with special medical conditions and observe the relationship between dental hygiene and other diseases,” she said.

Dental disease is the No. 1 preventable disease in America, Mesimer noted.

“Dental decay is more common than asthma, and unlike asthma, it can be prevented with dental hygiene and checkups,” she said.

The type of dental disease that most frequently leads to health issues elsewhere in the body is periodontal disease. Periodontal disease occurs when bacteria in the mouth causes an infection in the gums and bone beneath the gums.

Fredericksburg dentist Dr. Cathie Butterworth said that 85 percent of people who have the disease don’t realize it.

“Periodontal disease doesn’t hurt, so only a dentist can tell you if you have it,” Butterworth said. “Some people don’t notice until their teeth are loose or their spouse says, ‘Your breath is killing me!’” Symptoms of periodontal disease include: tender gums loose teeth gums that bleed during brushing or flossing.

Patients often aren’t aware of the symptoms, Butterworth said.

“People come in and they say, ‘Nobody told me bleeding gums weren’t normal!’ Bleeding gums are not normal,” she said.

To prevent periodontal disease, Butterworth recommends brushing twice a day, flossing once a day, and using a germ-killing mouthwash like Listerine.

“The mouth is the dirtiest part of the body, and you need to clean it to keep bacteria from getting into the bloodstream and causing infections elsewhere in the body,” she said.

If Butterworth discovers that a patient has developed periodontal disease, treatment becomes more intense.

“We make them come in every 3 months for a cleaning,” Butterworth said. “We do the same with diabetics since they don’t fight infection as well and are more likely to get periodontal disease.”

Diabetics, Butterworth said, are one of the groups of people most at risk for the disease. She said smokers, the obese, older adults and people prone to bacteria because of genetics also have an increased risk for periodontal disease.

Fredericksburg periodontist Dr. Julie Schuster said patients undergo more serious cleaning when periodontal disease is discovered.

“We start with a deep cleaning,” Schuster said. “[The disease] starts as a localized infection in the mouth, but if the bacteria enters the bloodstream, it could reach the heart.”

If cleaning doesn’t work, Schuster might perform surgery to eliminate some tissue and bone around the teeth.

“If not treated, a person could end up losing their teeth,” she said.

Poor overall health habits may be one explanation for the link between bad dental hygiene and other diseases. People who neglect their teeth may also neglect their overall health.

Another theory, at least for the link between heart disease and dental disease, is that after oral bacteria enter the bloodstream, they may attach to plaque in the coronary arteries.

Whatever the reason for the correlation, Schuster said it’s important to pay attention to poor dental health.

“Periodontal disease can be an indication of unhealthy things elsewhere,” Schuster said. “If you have periodontal disease, chances are you have high blood pressure, poor circulation or another health issue.”

In the case of a pregnant woman, periodontal disease can affect not only the woman’s health, but the health of her child, as the disease is linked to premature birth.

To prevent periodontal disease, people need to practice good habits like brushing and flossing daily, and going in for regular dental checkups, Schuster said. The alternative is risking an unwanted diagnosis.

teeth and gumtooth and gum

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