Journal of Oral Sign

The theory of focal infection promulgated in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries emphasised that foci of sepsis anywhere in the body could lead to the initiation and progression of a variety of systemic effects. The same theory applied to the oral cavity led to the introduction and subsequent popularisation of the concept of therapeutic edentulation wherein the teeth were subjected to extractions without clearcut evidence of infection and subsequent relief of symptoms, the etiological foci of which were considered to be the former. Recent progress in the identification of the oral microorganisms held responsible for the causation of widespread systemic infections has openedup the way for a more realistic and etiologic assessment of the importance of the oral cavity as a fullfledged reservoir of numerous diseasecausing microorganisms. To add to the worry is the fact that recent studies have indicated that in an immunocompromised host, a timegap of less than 1 minute is enough for these microorganisms to reach distant organs including the heart, lungs and the peripheral capillary system from the oral cavity after an invasive oral surgical procedure.