Taking care of your teeth won’t just give you a nice smile, it might save your life.Dentists on the Island are using the slogan Gateway to Health to demonstrate how periodontal disease plays a role in such life-threatening diseases as diabetes, heart disease and bacterial pneumonia.Their efforts are part of Dental Health Month, explained Celia Musson Nzabalinda, senior dental officer at the Department of Health“Periodontal disease and dental decay are the most common diseases in the world,” she said. “There is no disease that is more common.”Nine out of ten people suffer from periodontal disease that starts out at its mildest as inflammation of the gums (known as gingivitis), and worsens to become an infection in the mouth. The teeth lose their bony support because of chronic infection.“A person with severe periodontal disease has a large open wound in the mouth,” said Dr Nzabalinda. “Even if there are just small pockets of periodontal disease, you still have an infected wound in the mouth.“What can happen in that process is that the bacteria from that wound can travel to other parts of the body.”That bacteria can be breathed into the lungs and increase the incidence of bacterial pneumonia. Bacteria from the mouth can also enter the blood stream, leading to blood clotting and heart attack.A person with heart disease risk factors and periodontal disease is statistically more likely to have a heart attack than a person with just heart disease risk factors.There is also a relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease.“Periodontal disease can make diabetes worse,” said Dr Nzabalinda. “Relieving the periodontal disease may decrease a diabetic’s need for insulin or may allow them to change to oral medications.“Of course, it is not the only factor that impacts whether or not a person needs insulin or whether they need oral medications. Periodontal disease can cause diabetes to go out of control.”She said a person with diabetes and periodontal disease may need more frequent dental checkups.A person with diabetes without periodontal disease can usually follow a normal schedule of seeing the dentist twice a year.“The main factor in diabetes is [if] the inflammation that results from periodontal disease interferes with the body’s ability to process and use insulin,” she said. “If the insulin is not being utilised efficiently then the glucose in the blood will rise.”The Department of Health’s dental clinic will hold dental screenings next week with the Bermuda Dental Association as part of Dental Health Month.Screenings will be held on February 18 and 19 at the dental clinic at the Department of Health on Victoria Street from 10am to 2pm. Members of the public are invited to attend.“We are particularly hoping that people who are unemployed or uninsured will attend the screenings,” she said. “It gives us an opportunity to find out what their dental needs are and to provide them with information that can be of assistance.“During a time when a person has economic challenges they might neglect their oral health.“In fact, they really need to pay strict attention to their oral health.“Neglect leads to a greater burden of disease for the individual and a greater burden of cost. It is about making sure they continue to get their dental examinations and cleanings. In the end that is more cost-effective than letting things get out of hand.”The dental clinic provides free dental health services to children, seniors and special patients. The private sector also partners with them to see indigent patients.“Even in the times we are living in now, there is no reason why we can’t maintain good oral health,” Dr Nzabalinda said.