When your dentist peers into your mouth he's seeing far more than some molars and a cavity or two. He actually may be seeing signs and symptoms of a variety of medical ailments and could be the one to put you on alert.
Based on information gathered during this year's American Dental Association Colgate Oral Health Trend Survey, 62 percent of dentists say they have seen signs of hypertension and heart disease and 22 percent say they've seen symptoms of diabetes.
Three out of four dentists say women, rather than men, are more likely to seek treatment or show interest in periodontal symptoms.
Since recent reports show a possible relationship between periodontal or gum disease and stroke, heart disease and preterm low-birth-weight babies, nearly eight out of 10 dentists surveyed report they are taking measures to help their patients. Seventy eight percent are directly educating patients on the possible links, 31 percent are recommending home-care products with anti-bacterial ingredients and 22 percent are increasing recall of patients with other health risks.
