Mouth Infection as a Source of Disease
By George Thomason
By GEORGE THOMASON, M. D. The attention of medical men is becoming more and more directed to unhygienic conditions of the mouth as the principal causative factor in a number of diseases. Physical examinations by physicians now necessarily include a thorough inspection of the mouth, or the referring of the patient to a competent dentist for this purpose. Repeated investigations show that less than twenty per cent of the people have healthy mouths. A great variety of germs may be found in the mouth, eighty per cent of cases showing pus-producing organisms. Various infections which produce by far the greatest number of diseases find entrance to the body through either the digestive or the respiratory tracts, with entrance by the mouth. Germs are constantly taken into the mouth through the process of eating. Particles of food remaining between the teeth, with the warmth and moisture in the mouth, form ideal conditions for the growth of the bacteria. The presence of decayed teeth and cavities of course greatly facilitate these processes. DISEASES PRODUCED THROUGH INFECTIONS FROM THE MOUTH
The most common of these is rheumatism, both acute and chronic. The swollen, painful joints in rheumatism, as well as pains in the muscles, have been demonstrated many times to have had their origin in pyorrhea of the gums, root abscesses, and pus pockets around the teeth. By means of the blood current, infection from the mouth is carried to the joint, producing inflammation in the blood vessels, and permitting of enlargement and permanent tissue changes in the joints. Neuritis, or inflammation of the nerve trunks, sciatica, neuralgia, headaches, as well as various digestive disturbances, including ulcer of the stomach, inflammation of the gall bladder and the appendix, are frequently traceable to mouth infection. The sensation of “pins and needles” of which people so frequently complain, often originates from a similar source. Cases of pronounced mental depression and even melancholia have entirely cleared up following thorough dental care. A number of cases of palpitation of the heart and even malignant inflammation of the lining of the heart, also Bright's disease of the kidneys, have been found to have originated through an infection from the mouth. Decaying food particles in the mouth tend to produce an acid reaction which favors the development of cancer of the mouth and tongue, especially in the presence of sharp edges of roots and other sources of irritation. The conditions above mentioned can be obviated largely by: First, the occasional attention of a competent, conscientious dentist. Second, the thorough use of the toothbrush, with suitable dental cream or powder, at least three or four times a day, to include light scrubbing of the tongue or use of a tongue scraper. Third, a toothpick or linen thread or dental floss used so as to remove thoroughly remaining food particles from between the teeth. Fourth, rinsing the mouth and gargling the throat once or twice daily with a mild antiseptic, such as two or three drops of oil of cinnamon in a glass of water, or one part of listerine or glycothymoline to three parts of water. Fifth, the eating daily of acid fruit, especially oranges, apples, grapes, pineapples, and similar fruits. In view of the serious and often disastrous physical mischief that may be wrought by septic mouth conditions, it is of tremendous importance that the possibilities involved should be more generally recognized and appreciated, and oral asepsis practiced.