Does periodontal disease make you more likely to get bronchitis or pneumonia?

The answer is YES. Periodontal disease represents a marked overgrowth of ordinary oral bacterial germs. When you get a bronchitis or pneumonia, these infections come from your own germs getting somewhere they're not supposed to be.  The more germs you have in your mouth the easier it is to get an infection like this. People who have periodontal disease have far higher oral bacterial counts than the average person.