ACTA FAC. MED. NAISS. 2006; 23(2):59-63

   Review article

Ana Pejcic¹, Snezana Pesevska², Ivana Grigorov³, Marija Bojovic³

¹Faculty of Medicine, Nis, Serbia
²Faculty of Dentistry, Skopje, Macedonia
³Dentistry Clinic, Nis

SUMMARY

Focal infection can be defined as infections occurring in different locations of the human body and which are caused by microorganisms (or their products) inhabiting the oral cavity. The oral cavity is the site of many infectious and inflammatory disease , which has recently been associated with systemic diseases. Dental procedures (tooth extraction, endodontic treatment, root polishing etc), including periodontal therapy, can provoke the entrance of oral microorganisms of dental plaque into the blood flow and lymphatic system. This bacteriemia is short-term but in the conditions of weakened defense mechanisms, the risk of these bacteria is increased. In these cases, bacterial attacks on tissues and organs, after a while, lead to their multiplications and the origin of oral focal infections. Some diseases, such as infective endocarditis, infections of head and neck, respiratory infections, diseases of gastrointestinal tract, skin diseases, bone diseases and premature birth, occur as the consequence of the transmission of microbes fromdental foci. Many recent researches also list a periodontal disease as a risk factor. Chronic periodontitis is probably the most prevalent and potentially has the strongest epidemiological and plausible mechanistic associations with these systemic diseases.

Key words: periodontitis, oral focus, general disorders