Do Your Teeth Really Connect to Your Organs? A Look at Tooth-Organ Meridian Charts

What Is the Tooth-Organ Connection?

If you’ve ever visited a biological or holistic dental practice, you may have seen a colorful chart claiming that each tooth is connected to a specific organ system—like the liver, kidneys, or bladder.  According to this idea, an issue in a particular tooth can reflect illness in a related organ or even predict health problems in the future.  These diagrams are known as tooth-organ meridian charts.

This concept suggests that our bodies are interwoven by “meridians,” or invisible energy channels, that link teeth with internal organs.  For example, some charts claim that your upper first molar is connected to your stomach and spleen, or that a premolar relates to your lungs and large intestine.  This can sound both fascinating and concerning, especially if you have dental or medical conditions.

Where Did This Idea Come From?

The origins of tooth-organ meridian charts trace primarily to a German physician, Dr. Reinhold Voll, who practiced in the mid-20th century.  Dr. Voll developed a technique called Electroacupuncture According to Voll (EAV), which used electrical currents to measure conductivity on the skin over acupuncture points.  He believed that different teeth were linked through these energetic pathways to various organs.  Other European practitioners—including Dr. Josef Issels and Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt—expanded on these ideas, blending them with traditional Chinese medicine’s meridian theories.

It’s important to note that while traditional Chinese medicine recognizes meridians in the body, classical acupuncture texts do not map each tooth specifically to organs in the same way these charts do.  Over time, tooth-organ meridian charts spread beyond Germany, gaining popularity among holistic and biological dentists in Europe and North America.  Today, you’ll find them on many websites, in practitioner offices, and in some alternative health literature.

What Does the Science Say?

While the concept is intriguing, these charts have never been validated by high-quality scientific research.  To date, no large clinical studies demonstrate a reproducible cause-and-effect relationship between specific teeth and specific internal organ diseases.  Anatomically and neurologically, no accepted pathway proves that a diseased tooth can directly create dysfunction in a distant organ through an energetic meridian.

Of course, oral health does affect overall health—dental infections and chronic inflammation can impact the immune system and cardiovascular health.  However, this differs from claiming each tooth is an energetic mirror of a particular organ.

My Perspective

As a dentist who has practiced for over forty years, I believe looking at the whole person is important.  However, I also feel strongly about practicing within the boundaries of evidence-based care.

I have not seen convincing scientific proof that these tooth-organ charts accurately predict systemic disease.  In my experience, they can sometimes cause unnecessary worry for patients.  For example, if someone already has a kidney condition and is told their molar “connects” to the kidney, this can create fear that the tooth is making the organ worse—or that losing the tooth will somehow heal the kidney.  Conversely, a patient without any organ disease might feel anxious that a dental problem predicts future illness.

This phenomenon is called the nocebo effect—the opposite of the placebo effect—where the mere suggestion of harm can create real distress and symptoms.  I’ve also seen patients spend large sums on interventions meant to “clear” tooth-organ meridians, without any measurable health benefit.

My philosophy is to treat what is scientifically verifiable.  I absolutely support taking a holistic view of health and understanding that the mouth is connected to the rest of the body.  But I also believe we should be transparent about what is proven and what remains theoretical.

If you have questions about these ideas, I’m always happy to talk openly and help you sort through them.  The most important thing is that you feel informed, respected, and confident in the care you receive.