Today, physicians and dentists are aware of a relationship between dental health and surgical infection. Patients arrive at their dental office with a request from their surgeon for a complete dental examination including radiographs (x-ray imaging) to rule out dental infection prior to many kinds of surgery. This is a common request for patients who are having joint replacement surgery and surgery to correct or replace a heart valve.
The reason for concern involves the presence of dental plaque bacteria. Some of the same bacteria that causes periodontitis (gum disease) shows up in the thickening walls of arteries that supply nutrition and oxygen to the heart and brain. One oral bacteria also causes infections of the sinuses, eyes and ears. More importantly, this same pathogen is responsible for pneumonia, and meningitis. Bacteria originating in the oral cavity has even been traced directly to the patient's own womb (not entering vaginally).
Patients with reduced immunity due to chemotherapy or disease are much more likely to succumb to infection. The infections may appear to be nosocomial (an infection caught in the hospital) but might actually be due to bacteremia. Bacteria can spread through the body in a bacteremia (the name for bacteria floating in the blood) or in a thrombus (small blood clot). Bacteria in the blood can easily infect a surgical site. Bacteremia can cause the failure of a new, titanium joint or a new heart valve.
To prevent this kind of mishap, follow physicians' advice to have a full dental workup prior to any major surgery, while undergoing dialysis, or before starting chemotherapy.
Sources:
www.perio.org
www.ADA.org
www.oralgen.lanl.gov
http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v201/n12/full/4814370a.html
http://www.mmcpub.com/pdf/1997jph/199705jph_pdf/97jphv6n5p13.pdf
Author: Dr. David Leader
© 2008 Associated Content