It may be surprising to learn that dental health has a clear and proven link to overall health. Research shows that poor oral hygiene can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, premature births and even osteoporosis.

Fortunately, regular trips to the dentist for exams and cleanings, combined with regular brushing with fluoride toothpaste, and flossing can prevent many of these issues before they become pernicious.

Establish routine with children by first birthday

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), about 66 percent of adults went to the dentist in 2019, but this figure does not mean those individuals see a dentist annually; many people seek dental help only when there is an emergency.

The time to begin dental health is when children are young — as soon as the first tooth erupts, according to Dr. Natalie Stinton, DMD, Chair of Geisinger’s Department of Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Program Director for the Pediatric Dental residency, and continue visiting a dentist twice annually into adulthood.

“Both the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and American Academy of Pediatrics agree that patients need to establish a ‘dental home’ within six months of when their first tooth comes in, or by age 12 months at the latest. It is very important they start brushing as soon as the first tooth comes in. Some parents even choose to have their child get used to ‘brushing’ by rubbing their gums with a washcloth wrapped around their finger,” she explained.

She continued, “Establishing good habits early will make it much easier to maintain these good habits.”

Stinton said babies should never be permitted to go to bed with a bottle, or nurse at night if co-sleeping with parents. She said toddlers should also avoid having sippy cups of juice between meals.

The importance of dental health early can’t be stressed enough, as oral health is directly linked to overall physical health and issues in the mouth can appear in other parts of the body, and vice versa.

Stinton said, “When you have inflammation in your gums because you either have periodontitis or gingivitis, the inflammatory markers from that are found throughout your blood stream. If you have liver disease, the signs of jaundice show up on the floor of your mouth. Patients who are at risk for infective endocarditis get frequent bacteria in their bloodstream from their teeth if they do not maintain good oral hygiene practices.”

She continued, “Patients who don’t have functioning teeth often times have difficulty maintaining nutrition by eating fresh fruit and vegetables. Dental health is essential to overall health.”

Stinton said that the bacteria responsible for causing infective endocarditis, a condition in which the lining of the heart and heart valves becomes enlarged and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), is often traced back to plaque in the mouth — and patients who have poor oral hygiene can frequently get this bacteria in their blood stream.

People with gum disease are nearly twice as likely to have heart disease, according to the American Academy of Periodontology.

Dr. Nicholas Gorski, Primary Care, UPMC of North Central Pa., agreed, “Poor dental health can spread bacteria or infection throughout the blood stream…one example is the bacteria, s. mutans, which spreads to vulnerable heart valves and causes heart disease; people with artificial heart valves are at even more risk.”

The CDC found that more than 43 percent of adults in the U.S. have some form of periodontal disease, which is typically gingivitis, a moderate infection of the gums. Gingivitis begins as plaque and then becomes tartar. This will appear like discolored patches on the teeth. Early signs of gum disease include bleeding or puffy gums, bad breath, mouth sores, and receding gums.

Other issues beyond heart disease

Stinton said that poor oral hygiene for patients in the hospital is also linked to hospital-acquired pneumonia. Mothers who have periodontal disease are known to be at higher risk of pre-term birth, which affects the child’s health, putting them at risk for lung and eye issues among other problems that affect them for life.

She said, “If you are unable to intake proper nutrition due to not having functioning teeth, you are of course at risk for osteoporosis. and if you have osteoporosis, you are at higher risk for periodontal disease (loss of bone around the teeth). It is unclear at this time whether it is causation or correlation, as they share many risk factors including age, genetics, hormonal changes, smoking, and calcium and vitamin D deficiency.”

“Growth issues within the mouth can also cause issues, for instance a patient with a narrow airway due to a constricted palate can have obstructive sleep apnea. If caught early enough, the patient can have a palatal expander and avoid the consequences of OSA,” she said.

Gorski said that it is also important to know if there is fluoride in your drinking water at home. “If there is little to no fluoride in your water, children under the age of 16 should have supplementation provided by their doctor or dentist,” he added.

“Teeth care is more about the amount of time they are exposed to sugar and acid more so than the total amount in a day. So sipping on a soda over an hour is much worse for your teeth than drinking it in ten minutes with a meal,” said Stinton.

Therefore, her last word of advice is to drink only water between meals.