The mouth is a gateway into your body': the fascinating, frightening links between our gums and our health

"Why should our mouths be treated differently from the rest of our bodies? Going to the dentist often feels like more of a lifestyle and cosmetic add-on, especially for adults in the UK. And, even if you can find an NHS dentist, the service is not free at the point of use like medical doctors are. The origin story for this rift is that dentistry began, in the middle ages, as a trade with tooth extractions handled by barber surgeons and dentures crafted by jewellers and blacksmiths."

"But the tide is turning on this conceptual separation, because the links between oral health and systemic healthcare are becoming ever more apparent. Cardiologists and doctors treating type 2 diabetes, for example, are increasingly concerned with the state of their patients' mouths. Specialists in everything from rheumatoid arthritis to cognitive decline may soon be too, if recent research is any indication."

"People forget that the mouth is an open portal, a gateway into the bloodstream and your lungs, and inside your body, says Steve Kerrigan, professor of precision therapeutics at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences' school of pharmacy and biomolecular sciences in Dublin. Our mouths host about 700 species of bacteria, he says."

"Gum disease is extremely common: around half of UK adults have it in some form, caused by bacteria-harbouring plaque building up on teeth. Gingivitis is the milder, reversible version (a tell-tale sign is bleeding when you floss or brush). Periodontitis is when inflammation leads to teeth detaching from gums; this is the main cause of adult tooth loss and is irreversible. Gum disease is now classed as a chronic inflammatory condition in its own right."

Dentistry and medicine have largely remained separate, with different training routes, professional bodies, and NHS arrangements. Dental care often feels like a lifestyle or cosmetic add-on, and NHS dental services are not free at the point of use. Historically, dentistry developed as a trade involving tooth extractions and denture making. Growing evidence connects oral health to systemic conditions, including links to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, and potential relevance to conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and cognitive decline. The mouth is described as an open portal to the bloodstream and lungs, hosting about 700 species of bacteria. Gum disease is widespread, with gingivitis as a reversible inflammation and periodontitis as irreversible inflammation that can detach teeth from gums and cause adult tooth loss. Gum disease is also classified as a chronic inflammatory condition.

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