title: Periodontal medicine in the next millennium.
abstract: Dentistry and medicine have, to a great extent, been somewhat separated during the last 160 years, despite the fact that they have the same patients in common. We have now reached a period in our history when research is bringing medicine and dentistry closer together with data that are cogent to physicians and dentists and, most importantly, to the patient. A new paradigm is emerging with regard to susceptibility to periodontal disease, its etiology, and pathogenesis. Definite relationships between the oral disease and systemic conditions show that some risk factors are a concern for periodontal disease and certain systemic diseased such as cardiovascular disease. Periodontal diseases and systemic diseases--this is a two-way street. It is becoming clear that the dentist needs to know more about systemic diseases, and the physician needs to increase his or her knowledge of oral diseases. We may see an increase in oral microbiology testing for patients with periodontal disease. We also will see more dentists doing glucose testing as well as other tests in their practices. Physicians and dentists working more closely together, more patients with systemic diseases will be managed more successfully, and patients will benefit from predictable treatment regimens to save their dentition.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005491:Focal Infection, Dental / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology