Most of your patients probably don’t realize their dental health is directly related to their overall health. Unfortunately, that’s a dangerous misconception. Informing them of the risks from periodontal disease and offering treatment options, can be mutually beneficial to both your practice and their health. 

Decades of research points to the connection between periodontal disease and cardiovascular conditions. For example, research presented at the European Society of Cardiology last year found that not only is periodontal disease associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but that the more severe the periodontitis, the higher the risk.

Right now, it’s a correlation, not causality. It’s possible that people with periodontal disease have similar risk factors (e.g., smoking, diabetes, poor diet) to those with various cardiovascular conditions. Nevertheless, it’s a correlation your patients need to understand. After all, 46% of people over 30...