Section 4-1. Do teeth affect blood pressure? Proof of the correlation with autonomic nervous system

If the hypothesis “Teeth are involved in the autonomic nervous functions” which was explained in the previous chapter is really correct, we can anticipate that signals relating to chewing stimulation would affect not only secretion of saliva as the local effect but also provide systemic influences. So as to sustain this hypothesis, we focused our attention on the factor, namely the blood pressure which is significantly affected by systemic and autonomic nerves.　　If this hypothesis is correct, the blood pressure should be also changed. Unless similar changes as did saliva are found in the blood pressure, we can conclude that influences of teeth on secretion of saliva must be local ones and they could not be the systemic influences in which autonomic nerves are involved. However, presence of similar changes in the blood pressure as did secretion of saliva eventually proves the said hypothesis that teeth are implicated in autonomic nervous system.
Upon pursuing the correlation between teeth and blood pressure, the interdisciplinary features of this research project played a significant role. Unless this project provides broader information covering other fields in addition to dental profiles, I am afraid that the study on teeth could not have been completed and furthermore, I failed to recognize the said “Teeth-organ theory” and eventually this book would not have been published. As the results, my life has been probably changed.
In the previous Chapters, I briefly explained the process by which I recognized the correlation of teeth with blood pressure. Frankly speaking, the hypothesis that teeth are involved in the central life function such as autonomic nerves would appear incredible from the viewpoint of conventional dental common senses. However, I ventured into an uncultivated world to destroy and revise the existing medical paradigm, which has not been challenged by dental researchers in the past. To tell the truth, I had emotional conflict over sticking to the established paradigm and unexpected internal resistance against continuing this research. For example, when I was engaging in input of the blood pressure data for statistical analysis into a computer at night, my body and fingers showed rejection responses contrary to my will, with some doubts “I really wonder whether I am trying to do some foolish and unnecessary tasks”. Triggered by the word “Doctor, I can bite any food” by an old woman wearing dentures, I have opened the way so far but I was wondering where I could find the final destination, namely the goal for this research. I was puzzled by these questions and quite at a loss. However, now that I came from the very beginning all the way, I could not stand still at this point. All I have to do is to go forward even if I encounter any obstacles. At that time, I was driven by obsession and sense of mission as a researcher, and simultaneously, I felt premonition that extremely important fact can be excavated by this survey.
First of all, I input the available data to a computer where the current number of teeth and the minimum blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure) were placed on the horizontal and the vertical axes on the graph. The software to analyze the correlation was activated. Whenever the correlation between the two relevant factors was assessed, usually the dots were widely scattered on the graph like sky full of stars and the correlation line indicative of the correlation could hardly be observed. In sharp contrast, however, completely different findings were observed at this time. The clear correlation line suddenly appeared on the monitor. That was an incredible sight. I could not help but give a call to an internist, one of the co-researchers even at 1 O’clock in the midnight and I shouted “Obvious correlation exists between teeth and blood pressure!” Despite of having performed our survey, I was so surprised to find the clear correlation between teeth and blood pressure because the involvement of teeth in systemic functions had remained unclear until that time. To tell the truth, I could not believe the graph on the monitor. Nevertheless, the computer display clearly shows the correlation line. I confirmed our findings following input of various relevant data to strengthen them.



Figure 19
Correlation between the minimum blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure) and the current number of teeth by the correlation line
Correlation was observed between the number of the left teeth and the diastolic blood pressure. There was a folding point around the current number of 13～15 teeth, and the direction of the correlation line was changed before and after this folding point.