Improper dental hygiene can lead to a series of unfortunate problems inside of a person’s mouth including tooth loss, bacterial infections, and gum disease. Most of the time visiting your local dentist can treat these problems, but a good question to ask is whether or not certain dental issues can cause life-threatening problems within other areas of a person’s overall health. According to researchers, studies have found that an unhealthy mouth, more specifically gum disease, may lead to an unhealthy lifestyle.

A recent medical study suggests that the appearance of gum disease may put people at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care is a journal that reports new and ongoing information in the area of diabetes and in a recent publication of findings, researchers have discovered that men and women with moderate to severe gum disease had twice the risk of diabetes than those who maintained a healthy oral hygiene. These findings were determined after researchers followed 9,300 U.S. adults suffering from gum disease for over 17 years. Because of these new developments, more studies are being done to determine whether or not gum disease has an effect on other areas of systemic health including putting people at risk for heart disease, and stroke as well. Gum disease is caused from a bacterial infection inside the mouth and the chronic appearance may lead to cardiovascular disease in a weakened immune system.

Dr. Ryan T. Demmer of Columbia University who is the lead researcher overseeing the project weighs in with his thoughts:

“The pertinent finding was our observation that periodontal disease can precede the onset of overt type 2 diabetes, but it would be inappropriate, based on our findings, to definitively say that better oral health will reduce an individual’s risk of diabetes development.”

So although the findings haven’t actually proved that gum disease can lead to more life-threatening issues such as type 2 diabetes, you may want to think again the next time you decide to skip brushing before bed. Because you may not only be endangering your teeth and gums, but you may very well be putting your life in danger as well.

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Tags: BCBSNC, Dental Health, Health, Healthy Living //