Health

Open Wide: New Studies Say Your Mouth Holds Early Indicators of Cancer, Pregnancy

Studies Find Disease Can Show Up First in Gums and Teeth

A nice smile may say more about a person than just a pretty face. The Wall Street Journal reports Wednesday that several new studies suggest that some of the earliest signs of diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, immune disorders, hormone imbalances and drug issues show up in your gums, teeth and tongue– sometimes long before a patient knows anything is wrong.

“‘We have lots of data showing a direct correlation between inflammation in the mouth and inflammation in the body,’ says Anthony Iacopino, director of the International Centre for Oral-Systemic Health, which opened at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Dentistry in Canada in 2008. Recent studies also show that treating gum disease improves circulation, reduces inflammation and can even reduce the need for insulin in people with diabetes.

Such findings are fueling a push for dentists to play a greater role in patients’ overall health. Some 20 million Americans—including 6% of children and 9% of adults—saw a dentist but not a doctor in 2008, according to a study in the American Journal of Public Health this month.”

One dentist told the Journal that in his 32 years of practice he has spotted several cases of cancer, uncontrolled diabetes, bulimia and methamphetamine addiction. The Journal reports on just some of the things a dental exam can reveal that may show signs of broader health problems:

  • Back of upper molars can show where stomach acid has worm away enamel which could indicate bulimia
  • Red, puffy and inflamed gums are common during pregnancy
  • Tiny red hemorrhages on gums that spontaneous bleed may indicate leukemia
  • ‘Strawberry’ textured tongue with red bumps may point to Kawasaki disease, an inflammation of the vessels

Ed Marcus, a periodontist who teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University dental schools, says about 50% of periodontal disease is genetic, and the Journal reports that there is growing evidence of a link between periodontal disease and cardiovascular problems.

Recent research from the Dental Health Foundation has found that poor oral hygiene could cause pneumonia,as researchers believe there could be a link between bacteria in the mouth and the lung disease.

Mark Wolff, a chairman of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at NYU College of Dentistry, tells the Journal that shiny white teeth do not necessarily represent a healthy mouth.

Using whitening products more often than recommended can erode some of the enamel and cause teeth to appear translucent, and the Journal reprots that many dentists worry that a white smile often gives people a false sense of complacency as their teeth could still be harboring tooth decay and serious gum disease.

Comments (20)

  • discintom
    Posted on December 31, 2011 at 10:29am

    I traveled to China a few times for business and learned that today’s Chinese doctors learn both traditional and modern medicine. They examine patients’ tongues and breath in detail for clues to health problems. They also prescribes herbal medicines, acupuncture and who knows what else. Western doctors will use all of their senses in the diagnosis of patients.

    Report Post »  
  • uskakodker
    Posted on December 31, 2011 at 4:24am

    Beware. What appears to be fictitious and counter-intuitive today, usually becomes real years later.
    Jules Verne wrote Autour de la Lune in 1914, about a sphere containing three men being projected to go round the moon and return. It did, half a century later.

    Everything that H G Wells imagined in his sci-fi stories has turned out to be real now. This is about sci-fi writers.

    methinks, we should take dentists seriously. i have experienced!

    Report Post »  
  • Kangana
    Posted on December 30, 2011 at 1:19am

    Uhhhhh…I don’t get it. So my body shows symptoms of illnesses? What a breakthrough! Give them the nobel prize.

    Yawn. They’ll do studies for everything now. I wonder if it was funded with government money.

    Report Post »  
  • Sail Away
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 8:54pm

    Your eyes, finger nails and tongue are all good indicators of what is going on inside your body. Europeans and natural paths have used irodolgy for years (irodolgy studies the eyes, vessels) for disease.

    Report Post »  
  • gmoneytx
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 1:54pm

    That’s nice…

    Report Post » gmoneytx  
  • toto
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 1:30pm

    This is all very old news.

    Report Post »  
  • forthepeople
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 12:25pm

    Can it tell if one is lying ?

    Report Post » forthepeople  
    • shackero
      Posted on December 29, 2011 at 12:46pm

      No—I wish——-If it did show the liars, Obama-Care would need to cover the SOB’s in Washington to extract their teeth——-They’d ALL have dentures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Report Post » shackero  
    • Ruler4You
      Posted on December 29, 2011 at 1:22pm

      So now all they need is a swab of your mouth to determine if your name should be submitted to the obama death panel. Great. Can you get a second opinion?

      Report Post » Ruler4You  
  • searching for the Truth
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 11:31am

    That’s a nice looking wallet you have there.

    Report Post »  
  • antrancher
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 10:23am

    Infection im my mouth caused pneumonia that almost cost me my life. Take care of your teeth!

    Report Post »  
    • Partygirl
      Posted on December 30, 2011 at 6:04pm

      What they are reporting is only common sense. So maybe they can detect certain things through the way a mouth or gums look. But see it this way. If you have an chronic infection, like tooth decay which is bacteria, or the like, ongoing in your mouth that means that your immune system is working all the time to try to keep that under control. What is happening in the rest of the body if the immune system is concentrating on your mouth? Just wondering.

      Report Post »  
  • HumbleCitizen
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 10:13am

    @SHTFM
    Here are two more great sites.
    http://www.infowars.com
    http://www.naturalnews.com/

    Report Post » HumbleCitizen  
  • Zcat
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 9:32am

    I find rather interesting!

    Report Post »  
  • HammiSanz
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 7:53am

    Haven‘t they been using those kinds of indicators in people’s mouths for years? Besides the pregnancy one, the doctor is supposed to check your mouth for anything when a disease is possible, or so I thought. Doctors aren’t what they used to be.

    Report Post » HammiSanz  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 7:51am

    .
    Oh Happy Day!!!!!

    Another study tell‘in me I’m gonna die……………….

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
  • Eliasim
    Posted on December 29, 2011 at 7:24am

    Oh what a shocker. I will take my natural chances against nature because God has already prepared by body with a slew of defenses.

    Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on December 29, 2011 at 7:26am

      Leave it to science to prepare more weapons against God.

      Report Post »  

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