Bio: Dr. Victoria Sampson is a London-based dentist, researcher, and entrepreneur specialising in the oral microbiome and its link to systemic health. She is the Founder and CEO of THS Labs and the creator of ORALIS1, a pioneering saliva-based test. Dr. Sampson serves on the advisory board of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and is a topical team member for the European Space Agency. She is also an affiliate researcher at the University of Oulu and was the first dentist to be shortlisted for Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare and Science in Europe. She is also the co-founder of The Health Society, a multidisciplinary clinic in London where she champions precision dentistry and preventive healthcare through innovative salivary diagnostics. 

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Victoria, before we dive into the interview, could you tell us a little about yourself, your journey into dentistry, and what led you to focus on oral-systemic health, diagnostics and AI? 

I graduated and, like many dentists, started working part-time in the NHS and part-time in private practice. When COVID-19 happened, clinical work slowed down significantly, so I began collaborating with universities across the UK on research projects. 

One of the questions we explored was whether poor oral health could contribute to worse COVID-19 outcomes. Our research found that patients with poor oral hygiene, particularly periodontal disease, were indeed at a greater risk of developing serious complications. 

That was a turning point for me. It really highlighted how closely the mouth is connected to the rest of the body. From there, my research expanded into understanding those oral-systemic connections using saliva and blood biomarkers. As we started generating large amounts of data, artificial intelligence became an essential tool for analysing it and identifying meaningful patterns. 

It's not something I always planned to specialise in. It was simply where my research and passion naturally led me. 

You've become one of the leading voices in oral-systemic health. What first sparked your interest in the connection between the mouth and the rest of the body? 

COVID-19 was definitely the catalyst. I was already aware that there were links between oral health and general health, but I didn't appreciate just how significant they were. 

Seeing patients in intensive care with COVID-19 whose gum disease was contributing to poorer outcomes completely changed my perspective. Witnessing those real-life cases reinforced how important oral health is to overall health. 

Many people still view dentistry as separate from healthcare. Why is it so important that we start thinking about oral health as an integral part of overall health? 

Today's patients are far more focused on their health than ever before. There is a growing emphasis on wellness, longevity and preventative healthcare. Patients want to understand how every aspect of their health fits together. 

As dental professionals, we need to recognise that oral health is a fundamental part of general health. The mouth is the gateway to the rest of the body. 

Historically, dentistry and medicine have been taught separately, which has reinforced that divide. I hope we will see much closer collaboration between the two professions in the coming years, alongside greater public awareness that improving oral health is an important part of improving overall wellbeing. 

What are some of the strongest links between oral health and systemic diseases that dental professionals should be aware of today? 

The strongest and most established relationship is between diabetes and periodontal disease. The connection is bidirectional. Diabetes can worsen periodontal disease, and periodontal disease can negatively affect diabetes management. This relationship is now widely recognised by both the medical and dental professions. 

The next major area is cardiovascular disease. We now know that patients with periodontal disease have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and treating periodontal disease can reduce inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) while improving blood flow. 

Beyond that, growing evidence links oral health with chronic inflammatory diseases, autoimmune conditions, colorectal cancer and chronic kidney disease. The evidence continues to strengthen, and while more research is needed for some conditions, the connections are becoming increasingly clear. 

Artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare at an incredible pace. How do you see AI changing diagnosis, prevention and patient management in dentistry over the next decade? 

One of the biggest challenges in dentistry is consistency. If five dentists examine the same patient and the same radiographs, they may produce five different diagnoses and treatment plans. That inconsistency can be confusing for patients. 

AI has the potential to improve diagnostic consistency by helping clinicians identify disease more accurately and supporting decision-making. 

It can also help manage the vast amounts of information dentists work with every day, from radiographs and medical histories to clinical notes and treatment planning. AI can process and analyse that data much more efficiently. 

From a research perspective, AI is becoming indispensable because it can identify trends and patterns within huge datasets that would be difficult for humans to detect. 

I don't believe AI will replace dentists. Dentistry relies on human interaction, empathy, communication, clinical judgement and manual skills that technology cannot replicate. Instead, AI will become an assistant, handling repetitive administrative tasks, supporting diagnosis, analysing data and allowing clinicians to spend more time focusing on patient care. 

What do you believe is the biggest opportunity for dentistry to improve overall health outcomes in the coming years? 

The biggest opportunity lies in embracing a whole-body approach to healthcare. 

Dentists are uniquely positioned to identify wider health issues early. By incorporating elements such as blood pressure monitoring, vitamin D screening or other simple health assessments into dental practice, we can play a much greater role in preventative healthcare while strengthening collaboration with medical colleagues. 

For delegates attending Dentistry Show London, what can they expect to learn from your session, and what practical takeaways will they be able to implement immediately? 

Delegates will gain a deeper understanding of the links between oral health and systemic disease, and why those links matter in everyday clinical practice. 

I'll discuss how dental professionals can begin adopting a more holistic approach by considering patients' overall health rather than focusing solely on their mouths. 

We'll also explore practical ways to incorporate elements of medical screening into dental practice, such as vitamin D testing, blood pressure checks and blood testing where appropriate. 

Finally, I'll demonstrate how AI can become a valuable tool within the practice, helping clinicians improve efficiency and patient care rather than replacing them. 

If attendees leave your session remembering just one message, what do you hope that message will be? 

The mouth is the gateway to the rest of the body. Everything starts there, and oral health should be viewed as an essential part of overall health, not as something separate. 

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Victoria will be speaking at the Dentistry Show London this October, where she will deliver a presentation on Beyond the smile: exploring the oral–systemic link and its role in overall health outcomes.