In a new study published in the magazine Science it has been found that one of history’s worst epidemics may have been caused by a common microbe. To make this discovery the researchers used the pulp, the soft tissue trapped inside the teeth, to identify which bacteria were prevalent in the person’s body at the time of his death. In the DNA extracted from the teeth it has been found that the indigenous inhabitants had suffered from a salmonella infection that was introduced by the Europeans to local water ecology.
This discovery highlights the bond between the inner tooth chamber and the rest of the body and how an infection can ingress into the teeth and vice versa how tooth infections can travel to other parts of the body causing an infection there.
If you have more questions about the connection between general health and the condition of your teeth please ask Dr. Kaufman .