Introduction
Human being is an amalgamation of both knowledge and curiosity. The curiosity to gain knowledge should be the utmost concern to human being. One must wonder that all the human beings have a different genotype but in some or the other ways has a phenotype that is similar. The phenotype here means the external appearance that has two legs, two hands, symmetrical facial features, and an oral cavity.1 This oral cavity is also similar in terms of having teeth, tongue, and gums which enable the patient to speak clearly as the pathology in any one of them can lead to the interference with speech, esthetics, and mastication.2
Correlation of Gums to Oral Health
As the technology had been advanced so far, individuals who were initially had concern for their systemic health, have develop equal concern for their oral health. The oral health refers to a health of the oral cavity in which the teeth, tongue, gums, alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, and cementum are in harmony with each other. The pathology in any one of the component can lead to the abnormality in other as these all components of oral cavity are interconnected with each other.3 Among these components, the one component that is of prior concern and upon which the other components health is dependent is the gums which in clinical term is known by the name gingiva which surrounds the cervical portion of teeth as well surrounds the alveolar process.4 Thus the teeth and alveolar bone are connected by gingiva. Once this gingival or gum health gets compromised in the form of inflammation of gums that is gingivitis and if the patient doesnot get aware at the initial stages, then this inflammation extend into the alveolar bone ,which leads to the destruction of alveolar bone, and since the periodontal ligament is situated between teeth and bone, so this kind of inflammation also leads to the destruction of periodontal ligament along with alveolar bone which again in a clinical terminology is known by the term periodontitis which even results in the mobility of teeth because of the destruction of alveolar bone.5
Correlation of Gums To Systemic Health
It is said that for an individual to function in a proper state of mind, the most important thing to be maintained by an individual is his or her health. Here health refers to both the systemic health and an oral health. It is said that the systemic health and oral health are interconnected with one another as the pathology in either of these can lead to deterioration in another. Various studies have been conducted in the past such as the effect of diabieties on gums health or vice versa, the effect of drugs such as anticonvulsants, antihypertensives on the gum health, the effect of obstructive sleep apnea on the gum health, the effect of nutritional deficiency on gums health, the effect of pregnancy on gums health. So from these studies it was a clear cut indication that various systemic diseases have an effect on gums health or vice versa, and the treatment of these conditions can result in improvement of gum health or the treatment of gum health can result in improvement of systemic conditions.6
Conclusion
Periodontology is a speciality of dentistry that will gave us the knowledge of the physiology and pathology of the gums as the healthy gums are important in order to keep the systemic health as well as oral health in a good state of mind. Talking in terms of oral health, clean and strong gums act as a foundation for the strong teeth and bone. Talking in terms of systemic health, gums play an important role in maintainance of systemic health, as periodontal infection is a systemic infection, reover certain systemic conditions have an effect on the health of gums. Thus a bidirectional relationship exist between the gums and the systemic health.
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