Short answer

The mouth connects to the rest of the body in several ways. Gum disease is linked to heart disease, though research does not show that it causes heart disease. Diabetes and gum disease also affect each other, each one able to make the other harder to manage. Understanding these connections helps patients and their medical providers coordinate care more closely.

What the research says

  • About 42 percent of US adults 30 and older live with periodontitis, and roughly 8 percent have a severe form, based on CDC survey data from 2009 to 2014 (CDC).
  • A 2012 American Heart Association statement found a connection between gum disease and artery-hardening heart disease that remains after accounting for shared risk factors. The statement stopped short of saying gum disease causes heart disease (American Heart Association).
  • The two also share risk factors such as smoking, age and having diabetes (American Heart Association).
  • Diabetes and gum disease affect each other: diabetes makes periodontitis about three times more likely, and gum inflammation can make it harder to keep blood sugar steady (Preshaw et al.).
  • In a 2022 Cochrane review covering 35 randomized trials, treating gum disease in diabetic patients cut HbA1c, a three-month blood sugar marker, by about 0.43 points over 3 to 4 months, a finding rated as moderate-certainty (Cochrane review).

Where experts disagree

The American Heart Association found that gum disease and heart disease share risk factors such as smoking, age and diabetes, and that no evidence shows gum treatment prevents heart disease (American Heart Association). A 2022 Cochrane review found that treating gum disease in people with diabetes lowered a three-month blood sugar measure, pointing to a more direct link between gum care and a body-wide outcome in that condition (Cochrane review).

How we handle it at Natural Smiles

At Natural Smiles, Dr. Carlo Litano, DMD, looks at dental findings alongside your full health history. Our gum care and cleanings are fluoride-free. If you would like us to loop in the physician or practitioner who already manages your care, just let us know and we can share our findings directly. Before any treatment begins, you receive a written plan that lists the full cost. For patients traveling from out of town, we offer a private apartment one floor above our office for your stay. You can find us at 132 Mirror Lake Dr. N., in downtown St. Petersburg.

Sources

  1. CDC, Gum Disease Facts
  2. American Heart Association, scientific statement (2012)
  3. Preshaw et al., Diabetologia (2012)
  4. Cochrane review, periodontal treatment and diabetes (2022)

Last updated October 1, 2026.