Oral health: A window to your overall health

What's the link between oral health and overall health?

Like other areas of the body, the mouth is full of germs. Those germs are mostly harmless. But the mouth is the entry to the digestive tract. That's the long tube of organs from the mouth to the anus that food travels through. The mouth also is the entry to the organs that allow breathing, called the respiratory tracts. So sometimes germs in the mouth can lead to disease throughout the body.

What conditions can be linked to oral health?

Your oral health might play a part in conditions such as:

• Endocarditis. This is an infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers or valves, called endocardium. It most often happens when germs from another part of the body, such as the mouth, spread through the blood and attach to certain areas in the heart. Infection of the endocardium is rare. But it can be fatal.

• Cardiovascular disease. Some research suggests that heart disease, clogged arteries and stroke might be linked to the inflammation and infections that oral germs can cause.

• Pregnancy and birth complications. Gum disease called periodontitis has been linked to premature birth and low birth weight.

• Pneumonia. Certain germs in the mouth can go into the lungs. This may cause pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.

Certain health conditions also might affect oral health, including:

• Diabetes. Diabetes makes the body less able to fight infection. So diabetes can put the gums at risk. Gum disease seems to happen more often and be more serious in people who have diabetes. Research shows that people who have gum disease have a harder time controlling their blood sugar levels. Regular dental care can improve diabetes control.

• HIV/AIDS. Oral problems, such as painful mouth sores called mucosal lesions, are common in people who have HIV/AIDS.

• Cancer. A number of cancers have been linked to gum disease. These include cancers of the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, lung, breast, prostate gland and uterus.

• Alzheimer's disease. As Alzheimer's disease gets worse, oral health also tends to get worse.