Oral health impacts every aspect of our lives but is often taken for granted. Your mouth is a window into the health of your body in general. It can show signs of nutritional deficiencies or general infection. Systemic diseases, those that affect the entire body, may first become apparent because of mouth lesions or other Oral problems.

Whether you are 70 or 7, your oral health is very important. Most Americans today enjoy excellent oral health and are keeping their natural teeth throughout their lives. However, cavities are known as the most prevalent chronic disease of childhood. About 100 million Americans fail to see a dentist each year, even though regular dental examinations and good oral hygiene can prevent most oral disease. Many people believe that they need to see a dentist only if they are in pain or think something is wrong, but regular dental visits can contribute to a lifetime of good oral health. If you are experiencing dental pain, don’t put off seeing a dentist. With dentistry’s many advances, diagnosis and treatment are more sophisticated and comfortable than ever.

Many conditions cause oral signs and symptoms

Your mouth is a window into what’s going on in the rest of your body, often being a helpful vantage point for detecting the early signs and symptoms of systemic disease — a disease that affects or pertains to your entire body, not just one of its parts. Systemic conditions such as AIDS or diabetes, for example, often first become apparent as mouth lesions or some other oral problems. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, more than 90% of all systemic diseases produce oral signs and symptoms.

• HIV/AIDS
• Diabetes

A summary of key oral health issues

• the impact and burden of oral diseases, such as tooth decay, periodontal disease, oral cancer and more;
• major risk factors and the common risk factor approach;
• oral disease prevention and management;

Saliva: Helpful diagnostic tool

Your doctor can collect and test saliva to detect for a variety of substances. For instance, cortisol levels in saliva are used to test for stress responses in newborn children. And fragments of certain bone-specific proteins may be useful in monitoring bone loss in women and men prone to osteoporosis. Certain cancer markers are also detectable in saliva.

Routine saliva testing can also measure illegal drugs, environmental toxins, hormones and antibodies indicating hepatitis or HIV infection. The ability to detect HIV-specific antibodies has led to the production of commercial, easy-to-use saliva test kits. In the future, saliva testing may replace blood testing as a means of diagnosing and monitoring diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, cirrhosis of the liver and many other infectious diseases.

Your mouth as infection source

If you don’t brush and floss regularly to keep your mouth and teeth clean, plaque can build up along your gumline, creating an environment for additional bacteria to accumulate in the space between your gums and teeth. This gum infection is known as gingivitis. If left unchecked, gingivitis can lead to a more serious gum infection called periodontitis. The most severe form of gum infection is called acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, also known as trench mouth.

• Gingivitis
• Periodontitis
• Trench mouth

Bacteria from your mouth normally don’t enter your bloodstream. However, invasive dental treatments, sometimes even just routine brushing and flossing if you have gum disease, can provide a port of entry for these dangerous microbes. Medications or treatments that reduce saliva flow and antibiotics that disrupt the normal balance of bacteria in your mouth can also compromise your mouth’s normal defenses, allowing these bacteria to enter your bloodstream.

If you didn’t already have enough reasons to take good care of your mouth, teeth and gums, the relationship between your oral health and your overall health provides even more. You should do your best to practice good oral hygiene every day. You’re making an investment in your overall health, not just for now, but for the future, too.