The Oral Connection to Influenza and Pneumonia
On a Friday edition of the RNJ Morning Program, Dr. Gary Vander Vliet, the High Tech Dentist, stopped by to talk with Morning Mike and share some important health information. You’ve been hearing a lot about the flu epidemic across the nation; Dr. Gary came in to remind us that avoiding the flu (and related diseases such as pneumonia) starts with good oral health. Several recent studies provide evidence that the oral cavity may influence the initiation and/or the progression of lung diseases such as pneumonia and influenza. In one such study, patients to a neighborhood health clinic were divided into two groups; one group saw a dentist each week, while the other group did not. Ten percent of patients in the group without dental visits developed the flu. Only one patient in the other group did.
Learn much more about the link between good oral hygiene and your health by visiting Dr. Gary Vander Vliet at thehightechdentist.com. Dr. Vander Vliet is at Advanced Dental Care of West Morris, Hastings commons, Bldg. 2B, 486 Schooley’s Mountain Rd., Hackettstown. Call 908-852-8858.