This is part 2 (a continuation of last week's Eczema Podcast episode), where Dr. Kelly Blodgett shared how hidden dental issues (such as hidden gum disease, root canals, implants, dental meridians, gum grafts, cavities and silver amalgam fillings) can affect your skin, dermatitis, and other parts of the body (research paper links are listed below). Dental issues are often overlooked.
Today’s guest is Dr. Kelly Blodgett, a biological and naturopathic dentist. Dr. Kelly Blodgett graduated from the American College of Integrative Medicine and Dentistry and has a Board Certification in Naturopathic Dentistry and a Board Certification in Integrative Biological Dental Medicine. (You can find Dr. Kelly Blodgett’s website here: https://www.blodgettdentalcare.com. He also offers online consultations as well.)
The American Academy of Periodontology also shares on their website that periodontal (gum) disease is associated with several other diseases, such as diabetes, alzheimer’s, and heart disease.
Like the other microbiomes of the body (gut and skin), the oral microbiome is a collection of bacteria that affects the progression of health and disease. A major 2019 study in the Journal of Oral Microbiology discovered that bacterial populations from the mouth make their way to the gut microbiota.
Just as there’s leaky gut, there can also be leaky mouth as well. This can alter immune responses and potentially lead to systemic diseases.
Infants who have eczema are also 3 times more likely to develop tooth decay when they are 2 and 3 years old, according to this study from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Dentistry and the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences.
Cass Nelson-Dooley, MS, an ethnopharmacologist, also shared in her research that 45% of the bacteria in the mouth are also found in the gut. Oral infection can cause major issues within the rest of the body in a variety of ways.
Bacteria can escape through the gums to the bloodstream, cause system-wide inflammation, and bacterial toxins that make their way throughout the body. Two of the major bacterial groups in the oral biome that can impact the rest of health most notably include Prevotella and Veillonella.
Research has also shown that dental infection has been linked to nummular eczema as well.
Below are case studies of how dental issues & infections can affect atopic dermatitis and eczema:
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