A Clear Connection

For some, it's difficult to imagine a time when the connection between the mouth and body was discounted. Many senior practitioners, however, may remember that in decades past medicine and dentistry clashed like oil and water. The dentists--many of whom worked out of a cozy private office added onto the side of their house--did their thing, and the medical doctors did theirs. The two entities largely kept apart, and their association was often marginal.

Fortunately, over the years the chasm between dentistry and the medical profession has constricted. A growing amount of research-and, arguably, common sense-has revealed that oral health is not separate from overall health. There clearly is a correlation between bacteria/inflammation in the mouth and conditions affecting the rest of the body, like heart disease, diabetes, and others. Although a "causal" link between poor oral hygiene and systemic conditions has yet to be firmly established, evidence surrounding oral-systemic health is mounting-and impacting the practice of dentistry.

This issue of Compendium features two continuing education (CE) articles that highlight disease in the body and what dentists need to know about it. The first CE examines the potential link between periodontal disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD), a disorder that affects more than one in seven adults. The authors note that periodontal disease presence and severity may correlate with the occurrence of CKD, and certain bacteria, such as Gram-negative bacilli, are linked to the beginning and progression of CKD. The article can help clinicians gain valuable understanding of the association between periodontal disease and CKD.

Our other CE article provides clinicians a primer on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disorder that can be difficult to diagnose. While not connected with oral health, SLE may result in a variety of oral lesions. The article discusses the disease's pathophysiology, diagnosis, and oral and systemic manifestations and how to manage SLE dental patients.

In addition to providing a variety of clinical reports, this issue also has a Special Report on the role of proper nutrition in periodontal health. As our understanding of the impacts of oral conditions grows, the gap between dental and medical healthcare shrinks. Please enjoy this issue of Compendium.

Sincerely,

Markus B. Blatz, DMD, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
markus.blatz@broadcastmed.com