Contemporary Text Details Relationship Between Oral and Systemic Diseases
Published in 2010 through a grant from the Colgate-Palmolive Company, Periodontal Disease and Overall Health: A Clinician’s Guide, edited by Robert J. Genco, DDS, PhD, and Ray C. Williams, DMD, is an update on the relationship of periodontal disease to several systemic problems.
The chapter that provides an overview of periodontal disease reviews pathogenesis and characteristics and describes the latest findings in this area. The role of infection and inflammation is well covered, offering detailed insights on inflammation at the gingival level, systemic inflammation due to periodontal infection, and the resolution of inflammation in periodontitis and other systemic diseases. Discussions of diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, pregnancy, and diseases of the respiratory tract are covered at length in separate chapters, including what is known about their association with periodontal disease. Chapters devoted to oral health and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as oral health and cancer, cover important relationships that are becoming increasingly important due to new research activities in these areas.
The management of these conditions and the co-management of oral problems is a significant area not often covered in literature and is of great value to dental and medical practitioners. This is an excellent text for the practicing dentist as well as for physicians. Drs. Genco and Williams have assembled a distinguished group of contributors. Featuring insightful, high-quality illustrations, this text should be recommended to dental and medical students alike.
The role of educating the public about the importance of oral health, which the text covers in depth, is most valuable. This book will be a major step forward in achieving further medical–dental integration. Subsequent editions of this volume will keep healthcare professionals informed about the findings on the interactions of oral tissue changes and total systemic health.
Periodontal Disease and Overall Health: A Clinician’s Guide may be downloaded free of charge from the Colgate® Professional website: www.colgateprofessional.com. Look for the banner in the upper left-hand corner of the home page and click on the link to download the book.
About the Author
D. Walter Cohen, DDS, is Chancellor Emeritus of Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia where he is also a Professor of Dental Medicine.
