Connection to systemic diseases presents a major concern about periodontal disease, also known as gum disease. Systemic diseases related to gum disease include Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Infections that begin in the gums can lead to virulence factors traveling to other parts of the body, setting off immune responses that spur systemic diseases.…

Periodontitis, also known as gum disease, is one of the most common oral diseases, affecting 4 in 10 adults aged 30 and 60% of adults aged 65 or older The over 65 age group was one of the most prevalent among severe periodontitis patients in the United States, according to a 2018 JADA study. This…

An estimated total of one trillion species of bacteria exist in the world, with only about 30,000 species discovered and named. While scientists are aware of many unnamed, unstudied microorganisms, they remain understudied because these microbes haven’t been cultured in a laboratory. These illusive microorganisms are known by microbiologists as “microbial dark matter.” Dr. Xuesong…