This article explains how the oral bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis is able to avoid our body’s natural defenses and in doing so, cause chronic systemic inflammation.

Brushing and flossing your teeth is integral to maintaining good oral hygiene and for preventing the proliferation of oral bacteria that can cause tooth decay and gum disease. But did you know that good oral hygiene also helps to prevent a whole host of potentially deadly illnesses that are linked with chronic inflammation? The connection between gum disease and, for example, cardiovascular disease is well established in the medical literature, but now deeper insights have been gained into the exact mechanisms of how oral bacteria can make us sick. Let’s take a closer look with the help of an experienced NYC dentist…

Meet the Oral Bacterium, Porphyromonas Gingivalis

Porphyromonas gingivalis, or P. gingivalis for short, is a nasty critter that is known to cause local inflammation of the oral soft tissues, namely, your gums. It commonly found in people who suffer from gum disease and is linked with an increased risk of tooth loss and jawbone deterioration. According to a scientific article published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, chronic infection of the gums by P. gingivalis can lead to an increased risk of inflammation of the blood vessels. A condition termed atherosclerosis.

“P. gingivalis is a type of oral bacteria whose bodies are covered with an outer layer or coating,” explains the NYC dentist. “Our immune system has evolved to recognize parts of the composition of this layer – in particular, a lipid termed “lipid A” – and when it does it triggers the alarm. This kicks our defenses into action.

“P. gingivalis, however, has wizened up to our standard immune reaction and has actually developed a smart way around it. It produces a variant of lipid A, which goes unrecognized and undetected by our biological defenses. This ability essentially enables this pathogen to survive our immune system and to cause widespread trouble, both locally in the jawbone and systemically, throughout the blood vessels of our body. And of course, the major organs of our body are easily accessible via the blood vessels.”

The Link Between Gum Disease and Other Systemic Diseases

To a large degree, this explains the relationship gum disease shares with many other inflammatory diseases that affect our body’s major systems and organs. While the exact mechanisms of some of these connections are yet to be established, people with gum disease are known to be at a greater risk of:

• Diabetes,

• Cardiovascular disease,

• Respiratory disease,

• Stroke,

• Liver and kidney disease,

• Oral cancer,

• Osteoporosis,

• Rheumatoid arthritis.

Inflammation is the common thread here and with P. gingivalis able to travel through our blood vessels undetected and unchallenged by our immune systems, it’s no surprise how these oral bacteria can cause such serious illness throughout the rest of our body.

A Final Note

“The health of your mouth is intimately linked with the health of your body,” says the New York dentist. “If your mouth is unhealthy you can risk making yourself sick, not only because you’re swallowing all these nasty pathogens, but also because you’re breathing them in. Then, to make matters worse, they have developed sophisticated defenses that enable them to go undetected by our immune system. This is why good oral health and hygiene are so important: it’s not so that toothpaste companies can make millions of dollars, it’s so that you can live a longer, healthier and better quality life!”