Periodontal Health Status Is Pivotal for an Effective Disease Prediction, Targeted Prevention and Personalised Treatments of Associated Pathologies

Oral cavity health plays a key role in predicting and preventing periodontal and dental diseases which frequently cascade systemic effects such as chronic inflammation and associated pathologies. Periodontal diseases (PDs) affects up to over 50% of populations in developed and developing countries worldwide. The entire age spectrum from adolescence to elderly is affected that makes PDs to a global challenge. Despite local symptoms of the PD, inflammatory mediators produced as well as subgingival species and shifted microbiome become spread systemically leading to cascading extra-oral pathological changes at molecular, cellular, organ and organismal levels. Clear association has been demonstrated between clinically manifested periodontitis in COVID-19 infected patients and high risk of their admission to intensive care units and related death. Periodontopathic microfora is implicated in systemic microbiome composition alterations promoting chronic inflammation, systemic health-to-disease transition leading to sepsis, pneumonia development, and death. The dual antiviral and antibiotic medication is considered optimal to protect human body against pathologic shifts in the virome–microbiome axis leading to the vicious circle in disease promotion. Inadequate periodontal health services provided to the population may be caused by several deficits such as insufficient awareness of corresponding impacts in affected subpopulations and vulnerable individuals in suboptimal health conditions, low educational level with consequent ignorance towards the periodontal health, low socio-economic status of affected individuals, lack of the relevant insurance, insufficient density of specialised medical units, amongst others. An effective interaction between healthcare givers and policy makers is crucial to advance periodontal health in populations, health literacy, and multi-professional cooperation.