Doctors’ Notes: Your mouth is a gold mine of information about overall health

The eyes may be the window to the soul but the mouth reveals much about the rest of your body. Canker sores, dry mouth, swollen gums and sores that don’t heal — these could be important symptoms of medical issues you shouldn’t ignore. 

In our health system, there are doctors who deal with the mind and those who care for the body, and there’s a separate specialist for every organ. The mouth in particular tends to be seen as a separate entity. That’s a shame because the oral cavity is a gold mine of information about your overall health — and it’s the only part of the body that receives a thorough, up-close checkup twice a year.


Your oral health can reveal plenty about how you’re doing overall.

Take the common canker sore — incredibly annoying and quite painful, these mouth “ulcers” are common enough, especially among young children. Generally, they’re harmless, but they could be a sign of vitamin B12, folic acid, iron or zinc deficiency. Sometimes, they can also signify a gut problem, like celiac disease, or inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis. In rare cases, an overactive or underactive immune system is the culprit, and blood tests will reveal your white cell count is off.

To  continue reading, plase visit: http://www.thestar.com/life/2015/10/12/doctors-notes-your-mouth-is-a-gold-mine-of-information-about-overall-health.html.

By: Dr. Iona Leong University of Toronto, Published on Mon Oct 12 2015

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