Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist and researcher in the early 20th century, was the first to study the possible effects of dental infections on general health. He believed that changes in blood associated with dental infections would already be well known by that time. So he conducted a number of experiments in the lab with human patients and lab animals.
His research took into account the potential systemic effects of infected teeth (especially root canal infections) and how bacterial toxins might influence blood chemistry, body weight, and general health. Price's discoveries are well known today, but their findings are still very controversial and not well supported by dental science today. But his research is still being addressed in relation to oral health and systemic disease.
Dr. Price's investigation into Dental Infections
To better understand how dental infections affected the body, Dr. Price conducted thousands of blood tests on patients and animals. His interest was to determine whether chronic dental infections could produce measurable changes beyond the mouth.
His experiments examined a number of blood factors, immune responses, and metabolic changes that occur with infected teeth.Blood changes observed in Dental InfectionsAccording to Dr. Price's findings, several changes were observed in blood samples from infected subjects.Great increase in white blood cells. Price also reported an increase in lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell involved in the body’s immune response. Human patients exhibited elevated lymphocyte levels. Rabbits were observed to have a 58% increase in lymphocyte numbers. This suggested that the immune system was responding to chronic infection.Reduction in Polymorphonuclear LeukocytesThe number of white blood cells called polymorphonuclear leukocytes (neutrophils) also decreased.Counts fell in humans and rabbits. Some animal subjects showed levels about 33% below normal.
Minimal changes in Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin levels were little different from white blood cells.Price said hemoglobin remained relatively stable whether or not dental infection was present.Increased Bleeding TendencySome rabbits had symptoms similar to hemorrhagic disorders, including the tendency to bleed.Price associated these findings with toxic effects produced by chronic dental infections.
Elevated Blood Sugar Levels
His research also reported:
- Increased blood sugar concentrations
- Alterations in normal carbohydrate metabolism. Calcium Imbalance
- Price found different calcium levels in rabbits.
Some animals demonstrated:
- Elevated ionic calcium
- Others experienced:
- Lower-than-normal calcium levels
- Increased Uric Acid and Nitrogen Retention
Additional metabolic findings included:
- Higher uric acid levels
- Increased nitrogen retention
These changes suggested alterations in normal metabolic function.
Reduced Alkaline Reserve
Dr. Price also observed a reduction in the body's alkaline reserves, which he said was a cause of acidosis, meaning that body fluids are acidic.
Weight loss associated with dental infections.
One of the most striking findings in Price's study was that there was a significant weight loss.
He noted that:
Many human patients lost weight through chronic dental infections. Laboratory animals consistently lost weight after exposure to infected dental material.According to his findings, the more severe the infection, the greater the weight loss.The role of bacterial Toxins.Price looked at whether bacteria themselves—or toxins produced by bacteria—were responsible for these health effects.
In one series of experiments:
Rabbits were inoculated with filtered solutions prepared from infected teeth. The filtering process removed bacteria while leaving bacterial toxins behind.
Despite the absence of living bacteria, the rabbits still experienced:
- Significant weight loss
- Progressive illness
- In some cases, death
Price interpreted these findings as evidence that bacterial toxins alone could cause harmful systemic effects.
Rabbit Inoculation Experiments
Dr. Price conducted approximately 667 rabbit inoculations using:
- Bacterial cultures
- Filtered culture solutions
- Filtered washings from crushed infected teeth
According to his published observations:
About 33% of rabbits lost between 10% and 30% of their body weight. Approximately 3.6% gained between 30% and 50% of their weight.Since all rabbits were on the same diet, Price concluded that changes in body weight were associated with exposure to infected dental material.
Rheumatic Disease and Tissue Loss
Price also described patients with chronic rheumatic conditions who experienced severe tissue wasting.
He reported that:
Average weight loss was 10% to 25%, and more severe cases were losing 35% to 40% of body weight.He believed chronic dental infections contributed to this physical decline.
A Reported Clinical Case
One case described by Price was a woman whose normal body weight was about 130 pounds.
According to his report:
Her weight declined to 72 pounds due to chronic dental infections. With treatment and removal of the infected teeth, her weight increased to 111 pounds.Price also cultured bacteria from one of her infected teeth and inoculated a rabbit.Within four days, the rabbit lost about 20 percent of its body weight, down from 1,381 grams to 1,105 grams.
Modern Scientific Perspective
Dr. Price’s research was an important historical impetus for research on the connection between oral health and overall health. Today we know that severe dental infections can lead to localized and, in some cases, systemic health issues if left untreated.But many of Price's more general findings (particularly concerning teeth treated by root canal causing such widespread disease) have not been confirmed by contemporary, high-quality scientific evidence. Today, root canal therapy is generally regarded as a safe and effective treatment for infected teeth.Researchers are still attempting to connect oral health to systemic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and inflammatory disorders, but those relationships are complex and cannot be explained only by chronic dental infections.
Dr. Weston A. Price’s investigations into dental infections and systemic health are part of dental history. His studies indicated that chronic dental infections could affect blood chemistry, immune function, metabolism, and body weight through the action of bacterial toxins.
Although some of his findings stimulated further research today, modern dentistry does not support all of his observations. Good oral hygiene, prompt treatment of tooth infections, and regular dental checkups remain the most consistent and evidence-based ways for protecting oral and general health.
