Emerging evidence over the past decades has elucidated the complex interplay between oral health and systemic diseases, highlighting periodontal disease as a pivotal contributor to a range of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and neurodegenerative disorders. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the pathophysiological mechanisms linking oral and systemic health, including chronic inflammation, microbial translocation, and biomarker expression. It further explores the diagnostic potential of salivary biomarkers and advances in non-invasive technologies, emphasizing their roles in early detection and disease monitoring. The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between dental and medical professionals, integrated health records, and addressing healthcare disparities are discussed to improve patient outcomes. Challenges such as confounding factors, limited longitudinal studies, and gaps in establishing causality are acknowledged. Finally, future directions focusing on artificial intelligence, precision diagnostics, and policy integration are proposed to strengthen the oral–systemic healthcare paradigm.
Chauhan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.