Oral infections – why do they need to be diagnosed and treated?

Dentistry as a profession evolved from the need to treat oral infections – a fact already known thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt. Since then, research has shown the importance of oral infections not only from the oral health point of view but also regarding systemic health.  Teeth and their supporting tissues enable the entry of thousands of microbes into circulation with subsequent spread all over the body. Oral microbes cause upregulation of cytokines and inflammatory mediators that may cause detrimental effects in many organs. Consequently, statistical associations have been found between periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases but also with many other severe systemic diseases. These include diabetes, rheumatic diseases, kidney and liver diseases, arthritis and arthrosis, and even malignancies. The common nominator in the pathologic reactions involved is a low-grade systemic inflammation caused by oral infections. Diagnosing and treating oral and dental infections is thus mandatory in patients with severe systemic diseases to prevent life-threatening consequences. Similarly, patients submitted for major surgery or immunosuppressive treatment need to avoid dental infections. Maintaining good daily oral hygiene throughout life is the cornerstone of good oral health and in the prevention of complications here discussed.