Update on Tooth-Related Focal Infections: A Literature Review

Abstract Focal disease is a process in which bacteria, bacterial toxins, and metabolites from a clinically asymptomatic inflammatory focus enter distant tissues via the bloodstream, causing disease symptoms. The origin of the disease is an inflammatory focus, which itself does not cause any clinical symptoms but is the source of symptomatic infection in distant tissues or organs. Focal disease tends to progress into a chronic state. In recent years, numerous scientific publications have highlighted the correlation between odontogenic inflammatory foci and the occurrence of diseases such as atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, neurodegenerative diseases, infective endocarditis, diabetes, and cancer. This literature review aims to present the latest evidence on the existence of focal disease and the correlation between the pathological oral flora and systemic diseases. In order to create this article, the PubMed database was searched, and 36 articles met the inclusion criteria.