Effect of periodontal disease on circulatory system via vascular endothelial function

Abstract

In establishing better interconnectedness between different branches of medicine, new advancements can be made. Instead of focusing on the affected region of a body, it can be helpful to look at a bigger picture and explore the links to other body parts. For example, there are links between dentistry and general medicine but yet there remains a separation between the two. There is a growing awareness of how oral health can impact on the rest of the body, such as links between periodontal disease and cardiovascular diseases, and this is the context of Associate Professor Norio Aoyama's work. He is based at Kanagawa Dental University, Japan, where he is exploring the links between the cardiovascular system and the oral environment. He hopes that his work can enhance awareness of the relationship between medical care and dentistry. Periodontal disease can lead to chronic infection and eventual loss of teeth. One hallmark of this chronic infection is the related chronic immune response with inflammation and Aoyama believes the link between periodontal and cardiovascular disease is due to this chronic element. Aoyama and his team try demonstrating a causal link between the two diseases by recruiting patients to create control and test groups. The patients in the main test group, with periodontal disease but no cardiovascular risk factors, might have their vascular endothelial dysfunction examined using reactive hyperaemia peripheral arterial tonometry.