Any sign of gum bleeding spells trouble. Act fast before it gets worse, Universiti Malaya researcher, Dr Cheah Chia Wei said.

Dr Cheah who is a consultant periodontist and senior lecturer from Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry the blood seen on the gum travels to the rest of the body.

“It carries all the inflammatory load and bacteria by-products, potentially fueling the other chronic health issues in the body,” she added.

Dr Cheah Chia Wei

According to the Malaysia National Oral Health survey, 90% of the population presented with different degrees of gum bleeding problems. But only a few actually pay attention to this sign.

There are two basic types, gingivitis, which only affect the gums; and periodontitis, which affect the gums and destroy the underlying bone holding the teeth.

“If early gum problems like gingivitis is not treated, it may progress to become periodontitis.

Severe periodontitis increases the risk of individuals to develop health issues like diabetesmellitus and cardiovascular diseases.

“So, it is important to seek gum treatment at the earliest stage in order to minimise this risk. Once the condition is controlled, regular follow up is crucial to minimize disease recurrent and to ensure long term stability for both oral and whole-body health,” she added.

Since 2014, Dr. Cheah has been working on research related to periodontitis and systemic

health issues together with colleagues from the same discipline and collaborator from University of Adelaide.

They have observed the disharmony of the oral microbiology as a result of periodontitis, and high inflammatory load in the blood of people with severe periodontitis without obvious systemic health problems.