23 February 2022

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Focal infection theory: a new modernity in view of microbiota recent studies?

Authors: Carlo Fornaini, Francesco Di Pierro

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The “Focal Infection Theory”, very popular in 1930s, hypothesized the possibility that an infection of a specific zone might migrate to other different organs, even not contiguous, causing diseases  at a distance; this theory was responsible of very invasive preventive treatments, such indiscriminate tooth extractions and tonsillectomies but was abandoned due to the scanty scientific evidence.

Up today, thanks to epidemiological studies, several relationships between oral infections and many systemic diseases were demonstrated.

The aim of this narrative review of literature is to describe the microbiotic movements between the different zones of the body and to suggest a new approach for infections and their systemic effects prevention.