In the medical article, “Systemic Diseases Caused by Oral Infection” (Xiaojin Li, National Institutes of Health, October, 2000) suggested, periodontal disease “may affect the host’s susceptibility to systemic disease in three ways: by shared risk factors, by subgingival biofilms acting as reservoirs of gram-negative bacteria, and through the periodontium acting as a reservoir of inflammatory mediators.”  In short, periodontal disease results in a situation where the body becomes more susceptible to stroke and heart disease.