Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Those Mistletoe Kisses may be Spreading Hundreds of Germs

Hi everyone, hopefully everyone is having a great holiday. I came across this interesting holiday article from the Academy of General Dentistry website. Here's the teaser quote:

Exchanging kisses underneath the mistletoe may leave holiday revelers with more than just friendship and goodwill tidings. Passionate partygoers may swap up to 500 different species of germs, including those that cause gum disease, warns the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), an organization of general dentists dedicated to continuing education.

“With just one kiss, this infection can be passed between couples and even to children,” says Gordon Isbell, III, DMD, MAGD, spokesperson for the AGD.


Gum disease, a chronic inflammation and infection of the gums and surrounding tissues, is the major cause of about 70 percent of adult tooth loss, affects three out of four persons at some point in their life and is easily transmissible though mouth-to-mouth contact.


Read the rest of the article here:

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100