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Producer Connection is Standard Insurance Company's quarterly online newsletter for Employee Benefits producers.
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what you think of Producer Connection and how we can make it better.
Recent studies have shown a connection between severe gum disease and other health problems. Here are the three biggest:
The Dental Longitudinal Study by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs followed 1,147 men for four years. Those who had severe gum disease had a 150% greater risk of heart disease — America’s leading cause of death. They also had twice as many fatal heart attacks as the control group.
In an article published in the Journal of Periodontology in November 2005 (Vol. 76, No. 11-s), researchers who examined the results of the V.A. study and 41 similar studies concluded that bacteria from the mouth entering the bloodstream may trigger an inflammatory process that leads to plaque build-up on artery walls.
In a study published Jan. 17 in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Vol. 99, No. 2), researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that men with periodontal disease who participated in the study had a 63% higher chance of developing pancreatic cancer — one of the deadliest types of cancer. The researchers said the association may be increased levels of carcinogenic compounds generated by bacteria in the mouth.
According to the American Academy of Periodontology Web site, www.perio.org, women with gum disease may be as much as seven times more likely than women with healthy gums to have a baby that is born too early and too small. The academy says research shows that periodontal infection triggers a faster-than-normal increase in the levels of prostaglandin and tumor necrosis molecules that induce labor. Babies born prematurely are more susceptible to disease and suffer higher rates of physical and mental abnormalities.