The following article was published in the PDANN No. 9 around 1983

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In a report published by the dental profession, the blame for so much gum disease was placed squarely on the country's dentists. The headline of the report is: "Periodontal Disease in America: a Personal and National Tragedy." (1981)

This dental bulletin clearly states that, "almost all Americans, except the millions who already wear false teeth, have gum disease!"

The price tag for this disease is in the billions... mostly for extrac­tions and false teeth. A 1980 survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services concluded that only 5% of dentists' time is spent in attempting to treat gum disease and yet the majority of all teeth that are pulled (or fall out) are lost due totally to gum disease!

A study conducted by dental authorities in North Carolina states that: Gum disease in America is "rampant" and in the last 14 years gum problems have "significantly worsened!"

Dr. John Ingle, a government dentist in Washington, stated at a 1975 health conference that: the insidious and painless nature of gum disease is "a personal and national tragedy."  The report goes on to say: "The general dental practitioners should be regarded as the pivotal elements in the broad scheme of preventive and therapeutic periodontal program­ming."  By programming it would appear to mean teaching and or doing... However, in a survey done by Dr. A.B. Wade he reports in this same publication that: "plaque scores and plaque control of den­tists themselves were worse than those of patients."


The crying shame of the entire 8 page report is that it's conclusion offers no viable solution to the problem... so the national tragedy goes on... and on... and on...

It becomes very obvious that the only way to solve this major health problem is for individuals to learn about the cause of this disease and to take action to stop or treat it themselves... dentists will never be able to do anything about it if they can't stop gum disease in their own mouths!


The current "National Tragedy" as the profession calls it, is suf­ficient proof that: dentists' are simply failing the public...Miserably!

The obvious conclusion is that a conspiracy does exist. . . the thing speaks for itself.

The astronomical increase in the costs of health care and the rapid rise of malpractice suits against doctors in this country and world­wide is further proof that something is wrong. The system is not working... subsequent pages of this report will delve into the real problem and the only solution possible.

The diagnosis of the problem and it's predictable solution is based on over 30 years of study, research, and private practice, of Dr. Robert O. Nara.  Dr. Nara is the founder of Oramedics International, the world's only group dedicated to helping people AVOID disease rather that treating the results of the disease process with needles, knives, drugs, drilling, pulling and false teeth!


When any human being is faced with a problem, the first con­sideration in attempting to find a solution... is to thoroughly under­stand the problem. The biggest reason that gum disease is so widespread is that no one seems to understand the problem. The dentists certainly don't, so how can the public be expected to know? The answer to that is self-­education.

Carefully examine Fig. 1. It shows a cross section of a tooth. The spongy looking material is the supportive bone that holds our teeth in place. The bone on the left of the tooth is shown as normal, on the right side it has deteriorated because of gum disease. The gum tissue covers the bone and a thin layer of tissue fibers surround the tooth and attach the tooth to the bone (a velcro-like attachment).

Early in life, when the teeth first grow into our mouths a small crevis exists between the tooth and the gum tissue. In the healthy condition this crevis is about one millimeter deep. Figure 1 shows an instrument called a pocket marker, inserted into the left side crevice. The crevice on this side shows to be two to three millimeters deep. This condition is already unhealthy because bacterial waste products are causing inflammation of the tissue. This leads to infection and deep bone deterioration... this condition is shown on the right side of the tooth in Fig. 1. The depth of the crevice or 'pocket' on this side is seven or eight millimeters. This depth of pocket formation and bone loss is very severe, and if not arrested very soon will undoubtedly cause the tooth to be lost.

For many years dentists have been telling the public to brush twice a day, floss once a day, see them for scraping of the teeth every six months and everything will be all right. Millions of Americans have been following
these orders, only to be told after a few years that... NOW they have gum disease and need to see a gum specialist for surgery. This means cutting away the diseased gums so the process can start all over again. This is a painful, ex­pensive, merry-go-round that leads to false teeth. This whole "per­sonal and national" tragedy con­tinues for only one reason: It's very profitable to the dental profession. A well known Michigan gum specialist has bragged for years that he makes over a million dollars a year on gum surgery and related treatments. Since the automobile industry has instigat­ed such elaborate dental insurance, his "take" must have doubled or tripled by now!

The irony of the whole situation is that, if armed with the right knowledge, and if motivated to take action, with the proper in­struments anyone can simply rid the mouth of the offending microscopic little bastards. An en­thusiastic user of the methods recently wrote:

It's very simple, the mouth routinely harbors about 300 dif­ferent varieties of bacteria, however it has been scientifically proven that the troublemakers are spirochetes, motile rods, and coc­ci. Reduce these "nasty" bugs below certain levels and:

Once a person realizes how easy it is to understand the cause of gum disease, a little additional thinking then allows one to under­stand the decay proces.... the same mechanism applies here, only here it's the acid part of the toxic waste products that eats holes in the teeth. The notches that many people have at the necks of some teeth are almost always caused by a build-up of toxic waste products below the gum line "before" the gums receed. Dentists always want to blame the patients for im­proper tooth brushing... That's not true. The notches and the receeding gums are both caused by the same problem. All doctors are alike, dentists, medical doc­tors, etc. When there are good results taking place they im­mediately take all of the credit. When bad results are happening they blame the patient!

The bottom line on the problem of gum disease is simply that the neck-of-the-tooth is not given proper attention. Dentists are directly to blame because they concentrate all of their efforts on the crowns of the teeth... they fill them, inlay them, bridge them, etc. That's where the big money is! Therefore the public never learns that the main "trouble spot" is the crevice at the neck of the tooth. The solution lies in cleansing this crevice of the toxic waste products from harmful bacteria.

Early in life this can be accom­plished with a tooth brush and Clean-Between (floss), plus... a device to flush out the crevice. Figure 2 on this page shows a diagram of how this is easily accomplished. If some gum disease has set in so the crevice is rapidly becoming a crevasse then a "Special (cannula) Tip" is required... the Special Tip squirts a stream of salt water that is much more directional and deeper into the pocket than the ordinary tips. If the disease is even more advanced, then more sophisticated tips and methods, and therapeutic rinses, may be necessary. These stages of the disease and the corresponding treatment tips are illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. An enlarged view of a 'side-port' tip is shown in Figure 5.


These self-help methods of con­trolling gum disease have been used successfully for over 20 years. The reason that the results are so dramatic is that this ap­proach is aimed at stopping the cause of the problem... other methods are an attempt to control the symptoms.

One should be cautious however, in his thinking about these methods. The more severe the gum disease the more difficult these methods become. It may be necessary to retain the help of a dentist who has been specifically trained in helping people to help themselves. Doctor-dependent ­treatment such as gum surgery is rapidly being replaced with self-­help methods aimed at eliminating the cause.

As a final consideration in un­derstanding the etiology of gum disease, it is well to keep in mind that no two human beings are exactly alike. There is a wide
variation of people's resistive ability when it comes to fighting off gum disease.

In a large sample of people who's general health would be considered good, a few would have such strong resistance that their gums and supportive bone stays healthy even if they were very neglectful of oral hygiene, eating habits, etc. Another small group would be highly prone to gum deterioration even if they were very conscientious. A large group in the middle would suffer what might be called typical gum disease.

Also a certain number of people will suffer from what could be called "magnified" gum problems. Gum disease can be exacerbated by many conditions, including im­munosupression, malnutrition, or other general debility, endocrine abnormalities, etc. Therefore anyone who has been using all the right methods of eliminating the cause of gum disease but still having problems, should analyze the possibility of some Intrinsic Factor that might be complicating the overall health picture.

Being treated medically for a variety of problems can also have side effects complicating the gum disease situation. For example, about 500 different commercially prepared drugs have side effects that can cause a reduction in the amount of saliva flow. Reduced salivary flow can have an ex­tremely damaging effect on the gums and supportive bone. Some of the most common drugs that produce the dry mouth syndrome are:


One cannot be too careful when it comes to good nutrition. This is probably more important than any single factor. A 25 year empirical study has lead the staff at the People's Dental Association to a determination of certain basic nutritional needs. It seems that those who's gum tissue and bone stay healthy have been eating well and adding additional nutrients in­cluded in a "Defense Mechanism Formula." This 25 year emperical study has found that when lacking any of the nutrients in the "basic" Defense Mechanism Formula*, almost everyone will suffer some degree of gum and bone disease. Some people need a few additional nutrients over and above the Defense Mechanism Formula which is a matter that requires in­dividual investigation and decision.

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* It has been a detrmined and well-accepted notion that certain vitamins such as Vit. C are important for the health of the gum tissue.  In addition other nutritionals such as the minerals calcium and phosphorus, as well as antioxidants such as CoQ10 play a vital role in bone development, remineralization and as aides to the strength and support of the autoimmune system.  It is not our intention here to prescribe or advise on such matters as there are others who can and will do a much better job in this respect.  However, it is our intention to stress the strong importance nutrition plays in the health of the teeth and gums, as in every place else in the body.  -Ed.