6 Ways Oral Hygiene Affects The Rest Of Your Body (Share with your Friends)

Your dentist has been nagging you to brush twice a day and floss daily for as long as you can remember -- and while those habits, along with regular cleanings, are key components to keeping your teeth and gums healthy, it turns out that how well you take care of your mouth could actually affect your entire body.

"Your mouth is the gateway to your body -- and it's not a very pristine gateway," HuffPost blogger Deepak Chopra wrote on the topic last month. "It's filled with bacteria -- in fact, there are more bacteria living in your mouth than there are people on earth."

In the past month alone, two new studies have come out about the surprising effects of poor oral care on the body as a whole. So we rounded up just a handful of the research out there on this mouth-body connection. Here are a few reasons of why brushing up on oral hygiene may help to keep the rest of your body in shape:

A new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology found an association between the use of a non-alcohol antimicrobial mouth rinse in pregnant women and a decreased rate of delivering babies prematurely.

Analyzing 226 women with periodontal disease, the researchers found that study participants who rinsed twice-daily with the mouthwash were about three fourths as likely to deliver early, reports Reuters.

While the study didn't look to find the reason for the difference, lead author Marjorie Jeffcoat of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine told Reuters that one theory is that gum-disease-induced inflammation could trigger early birth. (The publication also points out that the researchers used a Crest mouthwash, with staffing and funding from the brand's parent company, Proctor and Gamble.)

n other pregnancy news, research presented earlier this month at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology found that gum disease could up the time it takes for a woman to become pregnant.

In the study, women with gum disease took an average of seven months to conceive, compared to five months among their peers without gum disease, The Huffington Post reported when the findings were released.

Like the previous study, one hypothesis for the cause is the inflammation resulting from gum disease. And, of course, the best way to prevent gum disease in the first place is through brushing and flossing.

Some research has connected periodontal disease (or inflammation and infection in the tissue around the teeth) to heart problems.

According to the American Academy of Periodontology, "Researchers have found that people with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without periodontal disease."

"If you have gum disease or cuts in your gums from dental work, oral bacteria can enter your bloodstream and cause infection in your heart or lungs," HuffPost blogger Deepak Chopra wrote last month. "Poor oral health probably won't give you heart disease or other diseases. But if you already have risk factors for certain diseases, it can increase your chances of getting them."

A study published in October 2007's Journal of the American Dental Association found a relationship between people who lost more teeth before the age of 35 and an increased risk of dementia.

"Our findings suggest that a low number of teeth has an association with dementia late in life," the researchers wrote in their conclusion section of the study, pointing out, of course, that while they had found a correlation, they don't know at this point if tooth loss actually causes dementia.

In a preliminary 2007 study among rats, researchers found a possible link between periodontal disease and a progression toward diabetes among rats who were already prediabetic. While the results, published online in the Journal of Periodontology, are still early, they suggest one more possible reason to keep up with a brushing and flossing routine.

Another study published in the Journal of Periodontology uncovered a suspected link between periodontal disease and pulmonary disease, such as pneumonia and acute bronchitis.

"By working with your dentist or periodontist, you may actually be able to prevent or diminish the progression of harmful diseases such as pneumonia or COPD," Donald S. Clem, DDS, president of the American Academy of Periodontology, said in an organization press release. "This study provides yet another example of how periodontal health plays a role in keeping other systems of the body healthy."