A pioneering test can use a small sample of saliva to detect the risk of heart disease, cancer and dementia.
By analyzing the types of bacteria in the mouth, known as the oral microbiome, experts believe they can identify risky pathogens that cause long-term health problems throughout the body.
The creators of the £350 test, called ORALIS 1, claim that if adopted more widely by the NHS it could revolutionize healthcare, and predict that a simple visit to the dentist could one day give you life-changing insights into your overall health. . .
The only question is, of course, would you want to know? For me, the answer was yes. Because while a poor oral microbiome can increase health risks, improving it and reducing risks is quite simple if caught early.
However, when I was offered the opportunity to take the ORALIS 1 test, I was apprehensive. Because (I’m a little embarrassed to admit it) I hadn’t been to the dentist even once in the last six years.
You may seem surprising or arrogant. Even a little… erm, unsanitary. However, I am far from the only one.
According to the Oral Health Foundation, nearly 40 percent of adults do not go to the dentist regularly. Part of this is no doubt due to the overall shortage of dental appointments in the NHS – there is a national waiting list of 10 million people, the latest data shows.
Cost is another factor: dentist appointments can cost around £26, but seeing a hygienist will cost you almost £100.
Luke Chafer (pictured) tested ORALIS 1. The kit claims it could revolutionize healthcare and they predict that a simple visit to the dentist could one day give you life-changing information about your overall health.
According to the Oral Health Foundation, nearly 40 percent of adults do not go to the dentist regularly. Part of this is no doubt due to the overall shortage of dental appointments in the NHS – there is a national waiting list of 10 million people, the latest data shows (file image)
Surprisingly, one in 20 has never been to the dentist in their adult life. Not even once. And, at 23 years old, I was one of them.
But how much damage could he have caused at such a young age? Turns out quite a few.
“Research has linked oral microbiome problems to other serious diseases that occur elsewhere in the body,” explains Dr. Gary Moran, professor of dental hygiene at Trinity College Dublin and one of the test’s developers, who says That risks to things like heart health can accumulate even from childhood.
Scientists believe that an imbalance in the oral microbiome can cause bacteria to travel to other parts of the body, releasing destructive enzymes that can make blood vessels less able to dilate and increase blood pressure.
A recent study funded by the British Heart Foundation found that those with gum disease were 69 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, the blood sugar control problem that dramatically increases the risk of heart attacks and cerebrovascular accidents.
And while not all bacteria in the mouth is harmful (80 percent is actually essential for maintaining a healthy mouth), research has linked particularly high levels of certain strains to rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and even colon cancer. .
So you can imagine my horror when the ORALIS 1 results informed me that the levels of insects currently living around my mouth were alarmingly high.
Among the nasty specimens covering my teeth were two strains of bacteria linked to some of the scariest diseases.
A woman at the dentist. Scientists believe that an imbalance in the oral microbiome can cause bacteria to travel to other parts of the body, releasing destructive enzymes that can make blood vessels less able to dilate and increase blood pressure (file image)
One of them, treponema denticola, is strongly associated with gum disease, which is the main reason people lose their teeth.
The other – fusobacterium nucleatum – is even more worrying.
This promotes inflammation related to the onset of gum disease. But in addition, according to a 2022 study, particularly high levels of the strain are often found in the saliva of colon cancer patients.
It had more than 2,500 times the amount considered normal.
“In addition to the association with cancer, there is a lot of research showing that Fusobacterium nucleatum is linked to infertility and cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Victoria Sampson, a dentist at The Health Society in London, tells me.
“But the good thing is that we can get rid of it relatively easily.”
The advice is simple: buy a new toothbrush, floss daily, drink a cup of green tea every day (as it contains anti-inflammatory compounds) and, obviously, book dental hygiene appointments more regularly.
“These results show that your oral hygiene is not very good,” Dr. Moran warns me. “If you don’t act, you will be at great risk for a whole host of diseases in just a few decades.”
Those who have a high genetic risk for heart disease, cancer or other problems because they run in families may see problems even sooner, he adds. Luckily I don’t. Experts hope that the ORALIS 1 test, together with further research into the functioning of the oral microbiome, can help change the approach to dentistry in the UK. “At the moment we still don’t know the cause-and-effect relationship, but we do know that oral bacteria can affect long-term health,” says Dr. Moran.
Recent survey data revealed that only 3 per cent of Brits who tried to get a dental appointment on the NHS managed to get one in the last two years.
“We know that people have a hard time getting an appointment, so if we could implement this in ten or twenty years across the board, it could give us a very good view of their health before problems arise,” adds Dr. Sampson.
After the test, I made an appointment to see the hygienist. Other than a little gum swelling, he doesn’t seem to have any other serious problems. She told me I needed to come back in three months and I absolutely plan to.