Facts and figures on the impact of Gum Health
Evidence of how periodontal health improves general health and medical costs
At the recent Europerio9 meeting in Amsterdam the European Federation of Periodontology stated that:
Oral health represents:
Between 0.5-1% of GDP and about 10% of medical expenses.
They also set out a number of facts and figures that we should all be taking note of and helping do something about:
- Periodontitis (gum disease) is the most common chronic inflammatory disease of humans.
- 8 out of 10 people aged 35 and over suffer from some kind of gum complaint.
- Periodontal diseases are the most common conditions to afflict us europeans but are amongst the least acknowledged.
- Gum disease can cause tooth loss and affect the rest of the body.
- Periodontal diseases do not tend to cause pain or intense discomfort. The most frequent symptom is bleeding gums.
- Periodontal diseases represent a major cause of expenditure in the adult and elderly population.
- Periodontitis is significantly and independantly associated with the major chronic inflammatory diseases of ageing, including atherogenic cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney disease, obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Severe periodontitis adversely affects blood-sugar levels in non-diabetes subjects and blood-sugar control in diabetes patients.
- The worse the periodontitis, the worse the diabetes complications (heart & kidney).
- Overall, studies show that successful periodontal treatment improves diabetes outcomes.
- Severe periodontal disease imparts significantly elevated risk for coronary artery (heart) disease.
Treatment of periodontal disease
Treatment of periodontal disease to a defined end-point reduces annual medical costs in patients diagnosed with:
- Type-2 diabetes by 40%
- Heart disease (coronary artery disease) by 11%
- Stroke patients (cerebrovascular disease) by 41%
Benefits of treating periodontal disease
The corresponding reductions in hospital admissions are:
- 39% in diabetes patients
- 29% in heart disease patients
- 21% in stroke patients
If you have any concerns about your oral health please do give us a call at Life Dental & Wellbeing, Exeter Dental Practice - we are here to help you keep your own teeth for as long as possible.
