The associations between periodontal disease and systemic diseases are widely accepted. The term “the oral-systemic link” refers to the connections between the two. Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease process resulting from the interaction between bacterial attack and the host inflammatory response. Periodontal disease has been shown to result in inflammation in parts of the body beyond the oral cavity. It is this inflammation and the causative periodontal pathogens that have been implicated as contributing factors, through a variety of pathways, in a multitude of systemic diseases and conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, hypertension, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, pregnancy complications, and a variety of cancers. Research is ongoing to determine the exact mechanisms interconnecting systemic diseases to periodontal disease and the strength of the various interconnections.
