The red signal

The link between what’s happening in your mouth and in the rest of your body goes further still: Gum disease might be a kind of early warning system, with poor oral health linked to diabetes, kidney disease, pre-term labour, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease and even certain cancers.

“A lot of research is coming out that seem to suggest some possible link or associations” between oral infection and systemic disorders, says Sally Cram, a periodontist in the District of Columbia and consumer adviser for the American Dental Association.

There’s a certain logic, of course, to the idea that your mouth — your body’s key opening to the outside — would be a harbinger of bodily health. Yet the connection is one that many people, even medical professionals, often overlook. Patients tend to minimise oral health, treating mouth issues as merely “dental.” Professionals echo this artificial dichotomy: Dentists and doctors don’t really talk to each other; they don’t attend the same conferences; they don’t read the same journals.

Many questions remain about the nature of the body-mouth connection.

In gum disease (called gingivitis in the early stages, before it develops into full-blown periodontal disease), the tissue that surrounds the bones supporting the teeth, become inflamed or infected. Often this results from the accumulation of bacteria in the plaque under the tissue holding the teeth. The bacteria release toxins and other chemicals that begin to destroy the bone. Scientists believe they circulate and cause damage elsewhere in the body — exactly how, is unclear.

“It is like setting up a garbage dump on the edge of a river. You wouldn’t be surprised if the lake downstream ended up polluted...