today IDEM Singapore 06 April

news6 IDEM Singapore 2014—6 April Inadditiontohavingmoderated the first round-table discussion on dental implants, Prof. Ray Williams from the Stony Brook University’sSchoolofDentalMed- icine in New York will provide new insights into the connection between oral health and general health during a IDEM lecture to be held this morning in Hall 405. Today international had the oppor- tunity to speak with him in ad- vance about this relationship and how the latest knowledge can be translated into clinical practice. Prof.Williams,aninternational workshop in Spain in 2012 discussed the evidence of the link between periodontal dis- ease and systemic conditions, among other things. Could you tell us a little bit about the out- come? Prof. Ray Williams: At the workshop in 2012, the European Federation of Periodontology and the American Academy of Peri- odontology came together in Segovia in Spain to look at the evi- dence for the relationship be- tween periodontitis and cardio- vasculardisease,diabetes,andad- verse pregnancy outcomes. Some excellent systematic reviews were conducted prior to the meet- ingtocarefullyevaluatealltheev- idence we have so far in this re- gard. The outcome was that there is a very strong association be- tweenthepresenceofperiodontal disease in a person and increased risk of developing the conditions I mentioned earlier. The conference also looked at the evidence for the biological ex- planation for these associations. The common pathway is of course inflammation and the determina- tion was that periodontal disease is a source of inflammation in the mouth that can reach distant sites and organs, where it has an effect. What was not clear at the confer- ence was the role of treating peri- odontal disease to reduce these conditionsandtheriskofdevelop- ing it. What impact do these results have on clinical practice? Good oral health is essential. Whatweneedtounderstandisthe degree to which treating peri- odontal disease could reduce the risk of these systemic conditions, as it has not been established that periodontal disease is a cause of them. What is true is that peri- odontal disease increases the risk of these systemic conditions and that anything that reduces the risk or the contribution to sys- temic disease is helpful. Are there any other oral-re- lated diseases apart from peri- AD “Oral inflammation needs to be controlled” An interview with IDEM presenter Prof.RayWilliams,USA