Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have been studying the bacteria that are often found in serious mouth infections.
Their goal is to better understand how these bacteria might be connected to other health problems throughout the body.
We already know that poor oral health can be linked to major illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. But until now, researchers didn’t know much about which specific bacteria show up in severe oral infections over time.
To find out more, the scientists looked at samples taken from patients with serious oral infections at Karolinska University Hospital between 2010 and 2020. They found that some harmful bacteria appeared in almost every case, and some of these bacteria have become even more common in the Stockholm area over the past ten years.
The study showed that most of the bacteria came from four large groups: Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. The most common types within these groups were Streptococcus, Prevotella, and Staphylococcus. These bacteria are known to cause problems not only in the mouth but also in other parts of the body.
One important message from this research is that mouth infections are not just a dental issue. If certain bacteria can cause harm in the mouth, they might also travel to other areas of the body and cause further damage.
In fact, the same research team had previously found some of these oral bacteria in the pancreas. They discovered that the presence of certain bacteria in the pancreas was linked to how serious pancreatic tumors were. This suggests that infections in the mouth could play a bigger role in overall health than we used to think.
The researchers now hope that dentists and medical doctors will work more closely together. By identifying the bacteria that cause oral infections, doctors may be able to improve how they diagnose and treat these conditions.
Knowing more about harmful bacteria in the mouth could also lead to better ways to prevent serious diseases in the future.
This study shows why it’s so important to take care of your mouth. Keeping your teeth and gums healthy might not just protect your smile—it could also help protect your heart, brain, and other organs. Taking oral health seriously could be a key part of staying healthy overall.
The study was led by Professor Sällberg Chen and published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum.
If you care about tooth health, please read studies about an important causes of tooth decay and gum disease, and common tooth disease that may increase risks of dementia.
For more health information, please see recent studies about mouthwash that may increase your tooth damage, and results showing this diet could help treat gum disease.
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