The periodontal XXXX link: a review of the truth or myth.

@entity1 @entity1707 @entity3152 @entity66 @entity262 @entity281 @entity2521 @entity1856 @entity731 @entity258 @entity65 @entity2523
Observational studies indicate periodontal @entity281 as a risk factor for @entity262 conditions like @entity65 and preterm low birth weight. This paper reviews and argues the biological plausibility for a periodontal @entity262 link and reviews the available experimental data from animal models and @entity1 intervention trials. Five principal lines of evidence can be used to explain the biological plausibility of a link. First, @entity281 in general has been implicated in the pathogenesis of both @entity731 and @entity3152 . Periodontal @entity281 secondly causes transient and @entity258 and endotoxaemias in @entity1 . Thirdly, periodontal @entity281 promotes @entity262 inflammatory and immune responses that may play @entity66 . Periodontal pathogens express specific virulence factors that can affect atherogenic or parturition events. Lastly, periodontal pathogens have also been isolated from non-oral tissues like @entity1856 . Experimental data derived from rodent and @entity1707 models indicate that @entity281 with the periodontal pathogen, @entity2523 , can increase @entity1856 size or reduce litter weights as compared to controls. While @entity1 intervention data are lacking for @entity1 at risk for @entity65 , early data indicate that periodontal therapy administered to pregnant mothers with @entity2521 can reduce the incidence of preterm low birth weight deliveries. Nevertheless, more and larger intervention trials are needed before we can fully accept periodontal @entity281 as a true risk factor in the causal pathways of @entity65 and preterm low birth weight.
