[Consideration for impacts of periodontitis on systemic health]

The common chronic disorders in the world, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancers, etc., are all the multi-factorial diseases. They are caused by the interactions of various risk factors among which inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of all these chronic disorders. Any factor which contributes or enhances systemic inflammatory burdens may serve as the risk factors of these diseases. During periodontitis, the bacteremia and subsequent systemic dispersal of periodontal pathogens and bacterial components may elicit production of pro-inflammatory immune mediators, and the pro-inflammatory immune mediators produced locally at the periodontal lesion may also enter the systemic circulation. Behaving as a potential source for increased chronic systemic inflammatory challenge, periodontitis contributes as the risk factor of these systemic inflammation associated chronic diseases.