PERIODONTITIS AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES
Respiratory diseases causes significant number of deaths and considerable amount of sufferings in human beings. Recent evidence suggests that the oral disorders, particularly the periodontal disease, may influence the development of respiratory infections like bacterial pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Periodontitis causes microbial and immune imbalances of the lung through several mechanisms lile; the inflammatory reaction in the lung was directly caused by periodontal pathogens under periodontitis after inhalation and colonization on the lung; the oral colonization of pneumonia-associated pathogens was promoted by periodontitis status; the respiratory epithelium structure was affected by periodontitis status; imbalances in neutrophils, macrophages, and inflammatory cytokines were caused by periodontitis status. The present article briefly reviews the association between periodontitis and various respiratory diseases.
