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YOUR GUM PROBLEMS THREATEN YOUR HEALTH
40 Percent of tooth losses occur due to gum disease. It is difficult to notice because it usually proceeds painlessly. Gum disease is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, pregnancy, diabetes and lung diseases.
Gum disease is a common problem that dentists face in the world today, at least as often as caries. 40 Percent of tooth losses occur due to gum disease. In undeveloped countries, these percentages increase further. Gum disease is an infectious disease that affects the tissues surrounding and supporting the tooth. Even teeth that have never had caries can be lost due to this disease. Gum disease is one of the most common chronic diseases in society that can affect one or many teeth and can be seen in children, people of growing age, adults and the elderly. Because it is usually painless, its symptoms are hardly noticed by the patient and in most cases it is applied to the doctor late. The effects of gum disease are not limited to the mouth, but also pose a risk for some systemic diseases.
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The relationship between gum disease and systemic diseases has been investigated from past times to the present. In the past, this relationship has been linked to bacteria in the mouth and the focal infection caused by these bacteria. Currently, this relationship is being studied in more detail based on scientific foundations.
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Coronary Heart Disease
Gum disease is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, pregnancy, diabetes, and lung diseases. If we examine the effects dec gum disease and systemic diseases, atherosclerosis is the blockage of medium and large arteries with atheroma plaque. A heart attack (myocardial infarction) is a complication of the formation of atherosclerosis. We can examine the relationship dec gum disease and coronary heart disease under three headings.
1- Etiological similarity: We can list the similar elements that we encounter in both diseases as follows: elderly, male, individuals with a low socio-cultural level, smokers and under stress.
2- Genetic relationship: Cytokines secreted from cells play a critical role in the onset of atherosclerosis and gingivitis. Genetically, some individuals develop an excessive inflammatory response to bacteria and a high proportion of inflammatory mediators are secreted. This intense inflammatory response can result in atherosclerosis and gingivitis.
3- Microbiological relationship: Bacteria contained in dental plaque located on the surface of the tooth stimulate platelet accumulation. The accumulation of platelets can play a role in the formation of atheroma plaques and thrombo-embolic phenomena. There were 30 percent more myocardial infarctions in individuals with oral infections compared to individuals without infection. Individuals with gingivitis have a 25 percent greater risk of developing coronary heart disease than individuals who don’t. Men younger than 50 years of age with gingivitis have a 72 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease than their gingivitis-healthy counterparts.
Pregnancy Low birth weight:
Births that occur before 37 weeks, before the completion of 40 weeks, which is the normal course of pregnancy, are called premature births. In developed countries, 10 percent of annual births are premature births, and babies with a low weight are born. Two-thirds of infant deaths are due to low birth weight. A baby (fetus) in the womb grows in a liquid called amniotic fluid in the uterus, and all the needs and nutrition of the fetus, especially oxygen, are through the placenta, and waste is again excreted through the placenta. In other words, the nutrition of the fetus is through the blood circulation. Here are blood circulation problems that will also affect the placenta, some problems in the mother, disorders in the uterus in which the fetus is located, or diseases of the fetus itself; it can cause premature birth (premature).
Factors such as a small mother’s age, medication, alcohol and smoking, stress, genetic factors, diseases of the genitourinary system and periodontal infections are risk factors that cause the baby to be born prematurely. The involvement of inflammatory mediators involved in gum infections in the bloodstream also poses a threat to the fetus-placenta unit. In the studies conducted, the following problems were found in mothers with moderate and advanced gingivitis:
1- Premature birth and low birth weight
2- Insufficient fetal growth
3- Pre-articular
4- Infant death in the womb
Microbes that accumulate in the mouth and in the tooth disrupt the entire system
The intraoral region is an area where there is intense germ activity, open to all kinds of external influences. It hosts many diseases, especially teeth and gums. Diseases such as tooth root inflammation, abscess and cyst formation in the later stages, especially caries, pose serious problems in this area. In addition, gum disease, as an infectious disease that affects the tissues surrounding and supporting the tooth, leads to the loss of even teeth that never have caries.
The incidence of heart attacks is increasing
There were 30 percent more heart attacks in individuals with oral infection compared to individuals without infection. Individuals with advanced gingivitis and dental diseases have a 25 percent higher risk of developing heart disease than healthy individuals. Again, men younger than 50 years of age with advanced gingivitis have a 72 percent higher risk of developing heart disease than their healthy counterparts. Severe gingivitis and dental diseases adversely affect the control of diabetes mellitus. It has also been revealed that there is an improvement in the control of blood values of patients with diabetes after gum treatment.
The cause of lung infection
Premature birth and low birth weight, as well as problems such as infant death in the womb, are observed in mothers with advanced gingivitis and dental diseases. Lung infections can develop when people with dental and gum disease inhale saliva. Plaque that accumulates in the tooth in high-risk patients with poor oral hygiene serves as a source of microbes that trigger respiratory diseases.
Oral hygiene is very important
Bacteria and viruses that cause lung diseases accumulate in the mouth in high-risk patients, such as patients requiring intensive care and home care. For this reason, it is very important to make oral hygiene appropriate. It is recommended that patients with systemic conditions that fall into the high-risk group start dental treatment before starting treatment to eliminate the risk factors that it will create.
Diabetes
There is a two-dec relationship between diabetes and gum disease. If we examine these relationships, gum disease is also mentioned as one of the complications of diabetes. Poor metabolic control of diabetes accelerates the course of gum disease, increases its severity. The severity of gum disease also negatively affects the metabolic control of diabetes. Diabetes, as is known, is a disease that affects small and large vessels. It has also been revealed that there is an improvement in metabolic control of diabetes after gum disease treatment.
Lung diseases
In respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (chronic bronchitis and chronic emphysema), bacteria can escape from the oropharynx into the lower respiratory tract. The oral cavity is a potential reservoir for respiratory tract pathogens due to its anatomical continuity with the lungs. Anaerobic lung infections can develop when the saliva of people with periodontal disease enters the windpipe. Microbial dental plaque is a reservoir for respiratory tract pathogens in high-risk patients with poor oral hygiene. Respiratory tract pathogens that cause pneumonia in high-risk patients, such as patients requiring intensive care and home care, colonize in the mouth.
Therefore, it is very important to make oral hygiene at home appropriate.
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