5 Medical Facts that Every Dentist Simply Must Know

Posted on May 5, 2017May 19, 2021 by Jennifer Rankin DDS

5 Medical Facts that Every Dentist Simply MUST Know. . . There is a well-substantiated link between oral health and certain systemic diseases.1 Diseases can lower the body’s resistance to infection, making it more susceptible to developing or exacerbating periodontal disease. Pregnant women with periodontal disease tend to have earlier term babies and babies of lower birth weight.2 Rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s Syndrome and even Alzheimer’s can affect oral health.3 Recent ...

Diabetes Screening in Dental Offices: Part 2

Posted on April 21, 2017May 19, 2021 by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

Diabetes is completely out of control in this country. The CDC estimates that one in three adults in the U.S. will be diabetic by 2050. Today, there are 79 million pre-diabetics in the U.S.; which is three times greater than the number of presently diagnosed diabetics. This is a diabetic avalanche; we can’t see the snow roaring down the mountainside, but it is coming. The dental profession needs to be better prepared to assist, as the medical profession is clearly overwhelmed. N...

Diabetes Screening in Dental Offices: Part 1

Posted on April 14, 2017May 19, 2021 by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

In 2014, the New Jersey State Board of Dentistry ruled that dentists in New Jersey could screen at-risk patients for diabetes, and although such in-office screening is within the scope of licensure in the state, this testing is not to be presumed to be the standard of care. This can be interpreted to mean that the screening needs to be followed by referral to a physician for definitive diagnosis. The glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) screening can be performed as a finger stick and analyzed in the den...

Gum Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease

Posted on March 3, 2017May 19, 2021 by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

A 2016 study published in PloS One1 examined the impact of periodontitis on the rate of cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sixty community dwelling patients with mild to moderate AD were cognitively assessed and blood samples were taken for detection and quantification of systemic inflammatory markers. Initial clinical assessments of periodontal health were conducted and the same assessments were repeated six months later. The study data revealed that periodontit...

Perio Pathogens CAUSE Atherosclerosis – Now What?

Posted on February 24, 2017May 19, 2021 by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

“[It is reasonable to state PD, due to high-risk pathogens, is a contributory cause of atherosclerosis. Distinguishing this type of PD as causal provides a significant opportunity to reduce arterial disease.]” This quote was cited in a previous blog post discussing the first journal article that demonstrated perio pathogens cause atherosclerotic plaques, which lead to cardiovascular events including heart attacks and strokes. The last half dozen words in the quote above are the most impactful; “...

Causality: It Was Only a Matter of Time

Posted on January 6, 2017May 12, 2021 by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

We as dental professionals have a significant role in combating the number one cause of death: cardiovascular disease. “High-risk periodontal pathogens contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis” is a powerful piece and I recommend you read it. There is scientific evidence that [periodontal disease] PD caused by the high-risk pathogens can influence the pathogenesis triad in an adverse manner. With this appreciation, it is reasonable to state PD, due to high-risk pathogens, is a co...

Periodontal Pathogens and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Posted on December 30, 2016May 12, 2021 by Richard H. Nagelberg, DDS

In December 2016 researchers from Johns Hopkins University published a study in Science Translational Medicine indicating an identified link between periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It would perhaps be more accurate to indicate that rather than periodontal disease being the causative agent, the perio pathogen Aggregatibacter Actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.) was found to be involved. The link between A.a. and RA involves a process called citrullination; which is the conversion o...