Making the Connection

Oral Health Linked to Overall Health

in More Ways Than One Employers, especially small businesses, are always looking for ways to curb the skyrocketing costs of health care. Assurant Employee Benefits is looking the problem square in the mouth by emphasizing the connection between healthy mouths and healthy bodies, and how that can translate to lower health care costs for small businesses. As more links are drawn between certain dental problems and health issues elsewhere in the body – conditions that may go undetected otherwise – the case for offering a strong dental plan continues to grow.

The Body’s Bellwether
The mouth is a window into what’s going on in the rest of the human body, often serving as a helpful vantage point for detecting the early signs and symptoms of systemic disease. Here are some statistics employers can sink their teeth into:

• Maintaining healthy teeth and gums reduces the risk for pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.1
• Those with a history of gum disease have a 33 percent higher incidence of lung cancer.1
• Gum disease has been linked to a 50 percent rise in pancreatic and kidney cancer risk and a 30 percent increase in blood cell cancers.1

Early detection of symptoms through dental exams can help patients and providers find health problems earlier and may help treat the condition sooner, before the condition reaches threatening and costly stages.

According to the American Academy of Periodontology, there is an association between periodontal diseases and other chronic inflammatory conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease.2 They say treating inflammation may help manage periodontal diseases and also may help with the management of other chronic inflammatory conditions.

“While in many cases, the nature of this link still isn’t clear, what is certain is that the condition of the mouth is closely tied to overall physical health,” said Dr. Polly Galbraith, chief medical officer for Assurant Employee Benefits. “Healthy mouths can lead to better overall health, fewer sick days and lower health care costs.”