318: Oral Microbiome: A Trigger of MASSIVE Inflammation w/ Dr. Victoria Sampson

The Healthy Skin Show

Did you know that the inflammation that drives your eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, etc., could be triggered by your oral microbiome?

That's right...

Inflammation that shows up on your skin is often triggered elsewhere! And one often overlooked spot in the body is your mouth.

Like your gut microbiome (which I've talked a lot about on the show), your oral microbiome is also incredibly diverse and can, due to a variety of factors, become dysbiotic or imbalanced.

The resulting immune response from your body can trigger cytokines that then end up elsewhere, increasing inflammation.

My guest today -- Dr. Victoria Sampson -- is a brilliant dentist who joined me to blow your mind about all of the intricate relationships between inflammation, cytokines, oral microbiome, testing and best dental practices to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

She's a functional dentist and researcher based in central London. She obtained her Bachelor's in Dental Surgery from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry and is now known for her work in developing salivary diagnostics, microbiome testing and incorporating artificial intelligence into everyday care. Her work has been acknowledged worldwide resulting in her becoming a scientific advisor, board member and clinical lead of multiple dental companies globally. Victoria has published numerous papers in the UK and internationally and was the first dentist in the world to link gum disease with worse COVID complications. Victoria is also the first dentist to be shortlisted for Forbes 30 under 30 in Healthcare and Science in Europe and has now founded her own multidisciplinary health center in London aimed at putting the mouth back in the body and connecting the oral microbiome with general health.

Because of my own journey overcoming gingivitis (which I firmly believe was due to both poor habits and a dysbiotic oral microbiome), I'm fascinated by this information. So if you've also struggled with dental issues or are looking for clues to what's driving the inflammation under the surface, this is an excellent conversation!

What's been your experience with gingivitis and dental issues? Have you ever considered that there could be an oral microbiome imbalance partly to blame? Share your thoughts in the comments!

In this episode:

• Connection of oral microbiome + severity of Covid-19 (research)
• The spectrum of oral and gum disease- what it looks like
• How pathogenic bacteria travels throughout the body in leaky gum syndrome
• What are the red complex pathogens?
• Top nutritional deficiencies or even diseases seen from the oral standpoint and the symptoms
• WHY you shouldn't be using mouthwash right after brushing your teeth

Quotes

"You're nine times more likely to be in the ICU and to be intubated [with COVID] if you have severe periodontal disease." [05:55]

"You can get a lot of nutritional deficiencies in the mouth. It presents in the mouth first before you might see symptoms elsewhere, and the reason for that is because the oral mucosa, so the skin lining the inside of your mouth, it regenerates at a much faster rate than most other parts of your body." [20:07]

Links

Find Dr. Sampson online | Instagram

Could there be a link between oral hygiene and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections? {RESEARCH}

Healthy Skin Show ep. 303: How To Reverse Gingivitis + Bleeding Gums