Mouth-Body Connection^®

The science and research behind our work.

Oral Health in America

From the first Surgeon General’s report in 2000 to the latest findings in 2021, the call has been consistent. To improve health outcomes, oral health must be fully integrated into the broader healthcare system.

2000 Surgeon General Report

In 2000, the U.S. Surgeon General released a landmark report declaring that "oral health is essential to general health." This report highlighted the divide between dental and medical care.

Read the 2000 Report

2010 Surgeon General Report Update

The 2010 update emphasized that oral diseases remain prevalent and that many individuals face barriers to accessing care. The report called for enhanced integration of oral health into overall health strategies.

Read the 2010 Report

Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges

The 2021 report called for stronger care coordination, expanded infrastructure and a renewed focus on prevention and education to address ongoing challenges.

Read the 2021 Report

Oral health is a key indicator of systemic health.

Oral pathogens can enter the bloodstream and trigger immune responses throughout the body. This inflammatory cascade is linked to chronic conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, several cancers and complications in pregnancy. In fact, eight of the ten leading causes of death in the U.S. are linked to inflammation that can begin in the mouth.

Oral health impacts every system in the body.

Industry and Research Partners

To continue to increase awareness about oral-systemic health and the Mouth-Body Connection®, PDS Health works with a wide range of partners to advance research that highlights the benefit of integrated care.

Smile Generation connects patients to trusted dental providers committed to delivering advanced clinical care and an exceptional patient experience. Smile Generation practices regularly educate patients on the Mouth-Body Connection®.

Visit Smile Generation

The Santa Fe Group advocates for integrating oral health into Medicare. Their initiatives focus on equitable, community-driven, and evidence-based policy changes.

Visit Santa Fe Group

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health conducts research on oral-systemic health, health equity and value-based care, with a focus on underserved communities.

Visit CareQuest

ADA Forsyth Institute is a leading research institute exploring the connections between oral health and overall well-being. The institute conducts groundbreaking studies on the mouth's role as a gateway to systemic health.

Visit ADA Forsyth Institute

NACDD’s Medical-Dental Integration Task Force developed a national framework, including awareness, data sharing, interdisciplinary collaboration and sustainable payment models, to integrate oral health into chronic disease prevention.

Read the Report

Evidence-based Research

The Mouth-Body Connection® is supported by a growing body of clinical and academic research. This evidence informs the work we do at PDS Health and guides how we partner with researchers, clinicians and organizations across health care.

Explore the research below to see how science is shaping the future of whole-person care.

The role of noninfectious comorbidities in the association between severe infections and risk of dementia in Finland: A nationwide registry study

^{PLOS Medicine | Sipila | 2026}