Mouth-Body Connection

Here are some handy guides and worksheets to download and explore at home, or in the classroom! Did you know that your mouth is connected to your body? There are different organs in your body that can be affected by your oral health. This worksheet shows you how your oral health plays a big role in your overall health. Discover how the health of your mouth also connects to the health of your brain, heart, lungs, pancreas, and kidneys.

Bad oral health is connected to higher risk of strokes due to increased susceptibility to blood clots. Additionally, respiratory infections occur when dental plaque established in the mouth spreads to the lungs, heart attacks and other heart conditions due to inflammation associated with periodontal diseases, faster infection manifestations, and increased stress on the kidneys. Additionally, diabetes can cause gingivitis and other oral diseases. Also learn about how periodontal diseases play a role in preterm birth during pregnancy, bone loss leading to tooth loss, and an increased risk of breast cancer. Use the discussion questions to recall what oral diseases are associated with strokes, what can happen as a result of plaque establishment in the mouth, and how poor dental health is able to impact the kidneys.

For more information about the mouth-body connection, view the resource here. Use this resource to hear directly from a dental hygienist about the connection between the mouth and the body and why it’s so important to take care of your oral health if you want better overall health. It expands well on the contents of the graphic provided here and allows you to have a better understanding of how your oral health impacts the health of your body.

Keep your mouth clean so that you can keep the rest of your body just as healthy!