What can your mouth say about the rest of your body's health? Medical experts at OnHealth say the answer may surprise you.
Recent research has suggested a relationship between periodontal disease and other serious health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. And some researchers have gone as far as speculating that the bacterial infection of the gums can directly cause other conditions.
James Beck, co-director of the Center for Oral and Systemic Disease at the University of North Carolina, says periodontal disease affects between 7 and 20 percent of American adults. It often progresses slowly and without symptoms.
Beck says the evidence isn't there for a direct cause-and-effect relationship between gum disease and other health problems -- but he says some studies indicate people with periodontal disease are from one-third to two times more likely to have heart disease than those with healthy gums.
