The Oral Microbiome & Chronic Disease: Naturopathic Solutions For Long-Term Health
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Authors
Staal, Kaitlyn
Issue Date
2015
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Naturopathy , Cancer prevention , Chronic disease prevention , Periodontitis , Diabetes , Dentistry , Immune system , Lifestyle prevention , Nutrition , Oral healthcare , Oral microbiome , Probiotics
Alternative Title
Abstract
Objective – The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the oral microbiome on long-term health, as well as how and why to intervene Naturopathically for its optimization. This study looks at research regarding the composition and health impacts of differing oral microbiomes and also explores current and potential treatment protocols for long-term sound health. Basic Procedures – The databases used for searching were Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Dentistry & Oral Sciences, AMED-Alternative Medicine, and PubMed. Researched focused on papers showing oral microbiome compositions and associated states of health and habits, conventional dentistry treatments and their efficacy, and finally botanical medicine as well as other Naturopathic modalities and their impact on oral and systemic health. Papers were chosen that were published within the last 20 years, with the majority of studies containing human subjects. Main Findings – The oral microbiome has a profound impact on long-term health. Aberrant microbiomes can promote chronic infection and inflammation, leading to systemic diseases such as Diabetes, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, respiratory tract complications, anemia, gastrointestinal disease, preterm labor, and cancer. There are many existing and well studied Naturopathic approaches to reverse the pathogenic oral microbiome and support a more commensal relationship, promoting a being’s overall health, longevity, and quality of life. Principal Conclusions - Conventional dentistry is an important tool for oral health, however standard treatments are geared towards acute infection, and protocols do not extensively examine the oral microbiome with regards to potential subacute dysbioses which can severely impact long-term health. There are botanical, nutritional, lifestyle and technological interventions which address these aberrant microbiomes. These practices have the potential to prevent and possibly reverse chronic disease states.
Description
This thesis is being archived as a Digitized Shelf Copy for campus access to current students and staff only. We currently cannot provide this open access without the author's permission. If you are the author of this work and desire to provide it open access or wish access removed, please contact the Wahlstrom Library to discuss permission.
Citation
K. Staal, "The Oral Microbiome & Chronic Disease: Naturopathic Solutions For Long-Term Health", ND dissertation, College of Naturopathic Medicine, Univ. of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT, 2015.