Disease Prevention

Over the past century we have seen vaccines come into existence that help control small pox, chicken pox, German measles, hepatitis A and B, and many more. Commonly disease prevention is thought of as a realm of the "body", that is, we think of disease being prevented by a shot in the arm, hygienic conditions, and antibodies in our blood stream. What we may not be conscious of is how important a role our mouths play in infectious diseases.

The mouth acts as a gateway to the rest of the body. We are surrounded every day by microorganisms, benign and harmful, as well as environmental carcinogens and chemicals. These microorganisms and chemicals enter the body through openings in the body including the mouth. These openings are lined with membranes that are covered with mucus. Many bacterium and other pathogens that cause such dire diseases as cholera enter the body through exposure to these mucus-covered membranes. It is here where the body's first line of defense against disease usually launches an attack against the invading pathogens.

Because pathogens enter the body through the mouth, many studies have researched the possibility of using oral vaccinations as a step in fighting disease at one of the points where it enters the body. Mucous tissue lining the mouth produces over 70 percent of the body's antibodies. Ideally, oral vaccines could take advantage of these antibodies and further boost the body's defense mechanisms. Why then are vaccinations commonly given as pills (to be absorbed into the bloodstream through the lining in the stomach) or injections? Studies have found that mucous-oriented vaccines are susceptible to the body's own secretions: enzymes in saliva, stomach acid, and other similar naturally occurring defenses. Vaccines introduced into the body through injections do not face these barriers.

So, until science can find a way to fight disease through oral vaccinations, it is advisable to continue to receive injections as your physician advises. Also, practicing good dental hygiene helps the mouth maintain antibodies that fight incoming pathogens and protect your system as a whole from possible disease.