Eight in 10 of the leading causes of death in the U.S. are linked to inflammation that can begin in the mouth. This statistic should compel us toward more proactive, preventive care that integrates oral health into overall health care, yet the current system is not designed to support this.
Oral health and whole-body health continue to operate in separate silos, and preventive care remains undervalued across our healthcare system. This must change. While momentum for integrated care is growing, one of the greatest barriers within the dental industry is the public’s limited awareness. Patients do not yet understand that good oral health can be a powerful tool to reverse inflammation in the mouth that is linked to more serious chronic conditions in the body.
It’s vital that leaders across the industry do more to educate patients about the Mouth-Body Connection so that prevention, rather than short-term fixes, becomes the standard.
CONSEQUENCES WITHOUT ACTION
Our country’s current health trajectory is unsustainable. More than 38 million1 Americans have diabetes and 98 million have pre-diabetes. One in three deaths2 in the U.S. is attributable to heart disease, and more than 7 million3 Americans aged 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s disease. That number is expected to nearly double to more than 13 million by 2060. These statistics show that a growing proportion4 of our population is living with chronic conditions for longer, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Research finds that all three conditions are linked to bacteria in the mouth. Periodontal (gum) disease and diabetes are bidirectionally related.5 Studies show that bacteria in the mouth can enter the bloodstream and travel to other parts of the body, causing inflammation linked to heart disease6 and Alzheimer’s disease.7 Research also shows that the presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, a key bacteria in periodontal disease, is associated with a ten-fold increased7 risk of Alzheimer’s.
This clear connection between the health of our mouths and the health of our bodies may be well known within our industry, but it remains far less known to the public. This puts dental health leaders in a unique position to advocate for and educate patients on the importance of preventive oral health care that helps reduce the risk of chronic conditions.
INCREASING AWARENESS ABOUT ORAL HEALTH’S CONNECTION TO OVERALL HEALTH
The Metro Denver Dental Society (MDDS) has been working to educate the public through its own channels, including the annual Rocky Mountain Dental Convention (RMDC) and the recent Integrated Healthcare Summit. These events bring leaders together to discuss research and highlight success stories that demonstrate improved patient outcomes achieved through screenings and treatments that
acknowledge the oral-systemic link.
Saliva8 and blood pressure screenings9 during dental visits can uncover early indications of pre-diabetes, heart disease, stroke, or Alzheimer’s disease before they become more serious. Saliva diagnostic tests can also identify whether a patient is susceptible to specific kinds of inflammation and encourage more proactive care.
Across PDS Health’s network of dental practices, clinicians have reported many cases in which patients presented with elevated aMMP-8, HbA1c or blood pressure levels. Many were urged to visit their primary care provider (PCP) and learned that they were only days or hours away from a serious health event such as a heart attack or diabetic ketoacidosis. These are simple tests for any practice to implement.
Because high blood pressure and diabetes are leading risk factors for heart disease,10 taking a patient’s blood pressure during each dental visit is one of the simplest ways we can help save a life. A challenge is that many patients remain skeptical that meaningful insight into their whole-body health can come from a dental visit.
Events like RMDC and organizations like MDDS are essential to raising awareness about the connection between oral health and overall health, but there is much more we can all do to champion this kind of care:
› Provide Educational Materials & Raise Awareness
Fact sheets, pamphlets and educational social media content can increase awareness about oral health as an indicator of overall health.
Educating how bacteria can travel from the mouth into the bloodstream, and how pathogens in the mouth are linked to conditions like Alzheimer’s helps patients understand why blood pressure or saliva screening can support long-term health. MDDS, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, the American Heart Association, and our very own Smile Generation all offer valuable educational resources.
Distribute these materials, highlight the information on your social media channels, and reinforce it during patient visits. Our supported dental offices have incorporated a script about the Mouth-Body Connection into the patient intake process to ensure the message is communicated consistently. The more often you share this information, the more willing patients will be to take a test or an additional step to protect their long-term health.
› Implement Saliva and Blood Pressure Screenings
Begin incorporating saliva and blood pressure screenings into your patient protocol. Just as X-rays or cleanings are a part of every visit, add blood pressure and saliva screenings to the list of clinical steps completed by your dental hygienist or dental assistant. Ensure the results are entered into the patient file. Tracking blood pressure and saliva scores over time helps teams monitor a patient’s health and develop a more personalized plan as changes arise.
Have clear language ready to explain the benefit of a saliva screening if patients are unsure. Tell them that a 30-second saliva screening can provide early insight into their overall health, and that saliva diagnostics can detect bacterial levels and determine if they are susceptible to more serious conditions. Share examples of patients who reversed dangerous inflammation and improved their overall health and quality of life because of a quick screening.
› Partner With Medical Providers
Co-located dental and medical practices improve the ease and efficiency of referrals. If a dental patient shows elevated blood pressure, your team can refer them to a PCP next door or nearby and vice versa. Primary care providers and dental clinicians can then share health records and real-time screenings, leading to early detection and a more coordinated response. The goal is to encourage collaboration across healthcare teams, improving patient outcomes and remove long-standing silos.
A HEALTHIER FUTURE
We cannot improve patient health without greater public understanding and support for preventive care, and that much of this care can begin at the dentist’s office. If we want to remove barriers and advance integrated care, we must increase awareness and education.
Dental leaders have an opportunity to use the growing prioritization of integrated, efficient care to position oral health as a key part of the healthcare solution. If we succeed, the next decade could bring meaningful reductions in diabetes and other chronic conditions through earlier detection and collaborations with medical providers to manage risks before they become costly and life-altering.
Join us in incorporating these recommendations into your offices. Whether through stronger education or adding blood pressure and saliva screenings to every patient visit, your actions can help improve overall health and reduce chronic disease.
While our industry is aware of the growing oral-systemic link, many people are not. It’s our responsibility to share this information and take actions that make integrated, whole-body care a reality. It all begins in dental offices.
REFERENCES
- https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/data-research/facts-tats/index.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12040760/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2025/24_0539.htm
- https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/data-research/facts-stats/fast-facts-diabetes-and-oral-health.html
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653921001386#bib0020
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36404545/
- https://carequest.org/oral-healths-role-in-identifying-undiagnosed-diabetes/
- https://us.dental-tribune.com/news/new-resources-help-dentists-identify-patients-at-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease/
- https://www.heart.org/en/news/2025/01/27/when-it-comes-to-heart-and-brain-health-numbers-to-know
Gary Pickard is Senior Director of Government and Industry Affairs at PDS Health. He has more than 25 years in insurance, marketing, legislative affairs, and industry relations, he has helped build partnerships across healthcare and dentistry as the organization expanded nationwide. A U.S. Navy veteran, Gary holds a degree in organizational leadership from Azusa Pacific University and completed executive education at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.