Chronic gastrointestinal problems? Your dirty mouth may be partly to blame

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Chronic intestinal disturbances may in part be handed down from above, according to a study published Thursday in Science.

Intestinal pathogens can lurk in the mouth and-at just the right moments-interlope in the gut to help trigger severe, recurring bouts of inflammation, researchers found. The study, based on human and mouse data, suggests that microbes lying low around our choppers may play a role in persistent gastrointestinal conditions such as Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis.

"Our findings suggest that the oral cavity may serve as a reservoir for potential intestinal pathobionts that can exacerbate intestinal disease," the researchers, led by Koji Atarashi of Keio University School of Medicine, concluded.

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