The emerging links between our oral health and this host of other conditions has a very significant upshot: it is easy to lower your risk of getting periodontitis, and to treat it effectively if you already have it.
“If we brush our teeth properly and have good oral hygiene, then potentially we can prevent the onset of periodontitis,” says Wu.
If the disease does set in, then in the early stages it can be treated with scaling and root planing, which scrapes microbes off the lower tooth surface above and just below the gum line. If you have serious periodontitis, the solution may include surgical treatment, “which means you loosen the soft tissue of the gums and clean the root surfaces, and put the tissue back”, says Holmstrup.
The problem is detection, due to the disease’s often symptomless nature coupled with the common misconception that unless you have severe tooth pain, you don’t need to go to the dentist. The solution there is again simple: if you’re due an appointment, don’t delay.
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In the forthcoming second part of this two-part story, BBC Future examines the best evidence-based ways to brush your teeth – and avoid this cohort of chronic diseases.
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Martha Henriques is Editor of BBC Future Planet, and tweets at @Martha_Rosamund
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