A pioneering test can use a small sample of spit to flag the risk of heart disease, cancer and dementia.
By analysing the types of bacteria in the mouth – known as the oral microbiome – experts believe they can identify risky pathogens that cause long-term health problems throughout the body.
The creators of the £350 test, called ORALIS 1, claim that if it’s more widely adopted by the NHS, it could revolutionise healthcare, and they predict a simple trip to the dentist could one day give you life-changing information about your overall health.
The only question is, of course, would you want to know? For me, the answer was yes. Because, while a poor oral microbiome may increase health risks, improving it and reducing your risks is fairly simple if caught early on.
Yet when I was offered the chance to take the ORALIS 1 test, I was apprehensive. Because – I’m slightly embarrassed to admit – I hadn’t been to the dentist once in the past six years.
It might sound surprising or cavalier. Even a bit… erm, unhygienic. However, I’m far from alone.
According to the Oral Health Foundation, almost 40 per cent of adults don’t go to the dentist regularly. No doubt some of this is due to a total dearth of NHS dental appointments – there’s a 10 million-long national waiting list, the latest data shows.
Cost is another factor – dentist appointments may start at around £26 but seeing a hygienist will set you back almost £100.
Luke Chafer (pictured) tried out the ORALIS 1. The kit claims it could revolutionise healthcare, and they predict a simple trip to the dentist could one day give you life-changing information about your overall health
According to the Oral Health Foundation, almost 40 per cent of adults don’t go to the dentist regularly. No doubt some of this is due to a total dearth of NHS dental appointments – there’s a 10 million-long national waiting list, the latest data shows (stock image)
Astonishingly, one in 20 have never been to the dentist in their adult life. Not even once. And, at 23 years old, I was one of them.
But how much damage could I possibly have done at so young an age? It turns out, quite a lot.
‘Research has linked problems with the oral microbiome to other serious health conditions that occur elsewhere in the body,’ explains Dr Gary Moran, dental hygiene professor at Trinity College Dublin and one of the test’s developers, who says that risks to things such as heart health can stack up even from childhood.
Scientists believe an imbalance in the mouth microbiome can cause bacteria to travel to other parts of the body – releasing destructive enzymes that can make blood vessels less able to dilate and spike blood pressure.
One recent study funded by the British Heart Foundation found that those with gum disease had a 69 per cent higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes – the blood sugar control problem that dramatically increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke.
And while not all bacteria in the mouth is harmful – 80 per cent is actually essential for maintaining a healthy mouth – research has linked particularly high levels of certain strains to rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s and even colon cancer.
So you can imagine my horror when my ORALIS 1 results informed me that the levels of bugs currently rooting around my mouth were alarmingly high.
Among the nasty specimens coating my teeth were two bacteria strains linked to some of the most terrifying diseases.
A woman at the dentists. Scientists believe an imbalance in the mouth microbiome can cause bacteria to travel to other parts of the body – releasing destructive enzymes that can make blood vessels less able to dilate and spike blood pressure (stock image)
One – treponema denticola – is strongly associated with gum disease, which is the main reason people lose their teeth.
The other – fusobacterium nucleatum – is even more worrying.
This promotes inflammation linked to the onset of gum disease. But besides this, according to a 2022 study, particularly high levels of the strain often shows up in the saliva of colon cancer patients.
I had more than 2,500 times the amount considered normal.
‘As well as the association with cancer there is a lot of research to show that fusobacterium nucleatum is linked to infertility and cardiovascular disease,’ Dr Victoria Sampson, dentist at The Health Society in London, tells me.
‘But the good thing is that we can get rid of it relatively easily.’
The advice is simple – buy a new toothbrush, floss daily, drink a cup of green tea every day – as it contains anti-inflammatory compounds – and, obviously, book more regular dental hygiene appointments.
‘These results show that your oral hygiene isn’t great,’ Dr Moran admonishes me. ‘If you didn’t act you would be at great risk of a whole range of illnesses in just a few decades.’
Those who have a raised genetic risk of heart disease, cancer or other issues because they run in the family might see problems even sooner, he adds. Luckily I don’t. Experts hope that the ORALIS 1 test, alongside more research into the workings of the oral microbiome, could help change the UK’s approach to dentistry. ‘At the moment we still don’t know the cause and effect relationship, but we do know mouth bacteria can affect your long-term health,’ says Dr Moran.
Recent survey data revealed that only 3 per cent of Brits who tried to get a dentist appointment with the NHS managed to get one in the last two years.
‘We know that people are struggling to get an appointment, so if we were able to roll this out in ten or 20 years time across the board, it could give us a really good insight into your health before problems occur,’ adds Dr Sampson.
After the test, I booked to see the hygienist. Aside from a bit of minor gum inflammation, I don’t seem to have any other serious issues. She told me I needed to come back in three months, and I absolutely plan to.
