Periodontal disease and respiratory disease: A systematic review of the evidence," Agado & Bowen (2012) perform a systematic review or meta-analysis style of research to determine whether there is a correlation between periodontal disease and pneumonia, or between periodontal disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a "common" condition that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Smoking is a major risk factor for COPD; but pneumonia can be caused by a number of different variables, some of which are environmental. It has long been suspected that there is a link between periodontal disease and either pneumonia or COPD, if not both. However, prior research has been inconclusive if these relationships are causal or correlational. A causal relationship has been hypothesized in some research, as the authors cite the fact that "aspiration of oral bacteria has been implicated in the occurrence of healthcare associated pneumonia and exacerbation of COPD," (p. 3). Therefore,...
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