A recent survey by Delta Dental delivered the welcome news that nearly all adults — 93% — agree “that oral health is a key part of overall health, underscoring its role in supporting physical health, mental well-being, and quality of life.”
So what are we to make of the results of a subsequent survey by P&G and the American Academy of Family Physicians?
A national survey of more than 2,000 Americans…found that while 76% of Americans say they are motivated to take care of their oral health, only 3% of Americans associate oral health with whole-body health when polled.
Surely both of these surveys can’t be right. Or can they?
Actually, they can. They’re not really asking the same question. They’re looking at the mouth/body connection from two different points. Delta Dental’s survey takes a big picture view: Is oral health part of overall health? The other zooms in to specific ways in which oral health is connected to other aspects of health.
And that’s actually where things get interesting.
When people hear phrases like “the mouth/body connection” or “oral/systemic health,” they naturally tend to assume there’s a single relationship between the mouth and the rest of the body. In reality, there are multiple points of connection. Those phrases are really a kind of shorthand — a convenient way to refer to a whole web of relationships that biological dentists have been exploring for decades.
The one that’s received the most mainstream attention is the impact that oral bacteria can have on the rest of the body. Scientific research has found them in the knees of people with arthritis, the brains of those who had Alzheimer’s, and in the hearts of those with cardiovascular issues. Other conditions linked with gum disease include diabetes, chronic kidney disease, mental health issues, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and more.
One thing all these health issues share? They’re all marked by chronic inflammation.
Another dimension of mouth/body health involves what enters the body through the mouth. Some things nourish us; others challenge our natural systems. But most fall somewhere in between.
Food, water, air, medications, and dental products all pass through the mouth first. It’s one of the many reasons we spend a lot of time talking about nutrition and the quality of the food you eat. It’s also why we encourage cleaner water, healthier indoor air, and biocompatible dental materials when needed.
None of us can eliminate every possible exposure, but we can make thoughtful choices that reduce our toxic burden while embracing all the things that give the body the raw materials it needs to work as designed.
But sometimes the question is less about what enters the body now and more about any oral barriers to overall health or other burdens that the body has been carrying for years, even decades.
Periodontitis is just one type of burden. Others include residual infection in root canal teeth, osteonecrotic lesions in the jaw (popularly known as “cavtiations”), and mercury exposure from so-called “silver” amalgam fillings. Such situations can place unique demands on the body, its immune system, and its ability to self-regulate. When we find such conditions, it’s always worth considering their impacts on the body as a whole.
How well the mouth works as designed can likewise affect your overall health and well-being. Teeth should meet in a way that allows efficient chewing while distributing forces comfortably across the jaws. Muscles and joints are meant to work together smoothly.
Swallowing and speech both depend on this system functioning well, and even subtle problems with the bite can sometimes have effects that reach beyond the teeth themselves — chronic headaches, neck pain, earaches, tinnitus, and more.
When we evaluate a patient, we’re not just looking for cavities or gum disease or failing dental work. We’re also looking at how well the entire system is functioning and whether there’s a way to restore balance and comfort.
Healthy mouths don’t exist apart from healthy bodies. They grow from them. What’s good for the body tends to be just as good for the mouth: good nutrition, restorative sleep, physical activity, effective stress management, time outside, healthy relationships. All these influence the body’s ability to regulate inflammation, maintain healthy tissues, and support healing — including the tissues of the mouth.
These five physical links tell only part of the story. The energetic aspects are another matter — and another way of understanding the body as an integrated whole.
But whether we talk about physical, functional, biochemical, or energetic relationships, the underlying philosophy is the same: Despite dentistry and medicine being split apart from each other, the mouth isn’t separate from the rest of the body.
