Gum disease isn’t just disastrous for your teeth, but also for the rest of your body. Here is why you should step up your oral health routine

Have you been skimping on your oral care routine lately? Be aware that there is much more at stake than only your teeth and gums.

Your oral health can affect your whole body. More and more evidence seems to be showing that there is a strong association between gum disease and serious health problems such cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and even pregnancy complications.

Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, explains why your overall health is intrinsically linked to your oral health. “The link between oral health and overall body health is well documented and backed by robust scientific evidence. Despite this, only one in six people realises that people with gum disease may have an increased risk of stroke or diabetes. And only one in three is aware of the heart disease link.”

What is the connection?

You might be wondering how the state of your gums and teeth can be connected to your internal health. Here’s how gum disease is linked to significant health problems:

1. Oral health and your heart

In the case of heart disease, some theories seem to link to the bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria enter the blood stream, where they land on existing artery plaques and aid in clot forming, ultimately causing cardiovascular diseases.

Research has shown in the past that people with gum disease are twice as likely to suffer from artery disease as people without gum disease.

2. Oral health and diabetes

There is an even stronger link between gum disease and diabetes, according to research. Gum disease can actually increase blood sugar levels in the body, which can ultimately lead to diabetes, or make it harder to control diabetes if you are already diabetic. Studies have shown that people with gum disease are more likely to have uncontrolled blood sugar than those without.

3. Oral health and inflammation

Your overall health is also affected by the presence of inflammation in the body caused by gum disease. The more inflammation in your body, the higher your risk for developing infections and slowly damaging the heart and brain over an extended period of time. “Periodontal disease increases the body’s burden of inflammation,” says periodontist Dr Hatice Hasturk of the Harvard-affiliated Forsyth Institute, a not-for-profit research organisation focused on oral health.

4. Oral health and pregnancy complications

There is some evidence that gum disease can lead to possible pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia. There is also research that suggests that 18 in 100 premature births can be linked to gum disease. Unfortunately the hormonal fluctuations caused by pregnancy can make you more susceptible to gum disease as this changes the body’s response to plaque. To avoid pregnancy complications and gum disease altogether, it is important to step up your dental routine during pregnancy.

Visit your dentist before you try to conceive to rule out any possible signs of gum disease and risk of bacteria in your mouth entering the bloodstream and affecting the placenta.

5. Oral disease and cancer risk

Gum disease is not only associated with the above medical problems, but also with cancers of the head and neck, as previously mentioned in a Health24 article. In fact, a number of studies have suggested that tooth loss caused by gum disease may be linked to various types of cancers.

How to prevent gum disease 

A proper oral hygiene routine is key to help prevent gum disease. Make sure to:

• Brush and floss at least twice a day.
• Use a mouthwash to get rid of plaque.
• Go for regular check-ups at the dentist – you are advised to go every six months, although this can vary from every three months to two years depending on your overall oral health and risk for gum disease.
• Get your teeth professionally cleaned to get rid of hardened plaque, also known as tartar.

According to a previous Health24 article, early symptoms of gum disease may include bleeding gums during brushing or flossing; swollen, red or tender gums; loose teeth; gums that recede or move away from the tooth; persistent bad breath; or a bad taste in mouth that doesn’t go away with brushing or flossing. Consult your dentist when you experience these symptoms to prevent further damage to the teeth.

Harvard Medical School also states that while there is as yet no evidence that preventing gum disease will definitely prevent other diseases, it is still important to acknowledge the link between oral health and overall health and take good care of your teeth and gums.

Find the article here

Researchers have found that flossing before brushing may be the ideal sequence for the most thorough removal of dental plaque. The report is featured in the Journal of Periodontology (JOP), which is published by the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP).

Titled “The Effect of Toothbrushing and Flossing Sequence on Interdental Plaque Reduction and Fluoride Retention: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial,” the study assessed 25 participants who were asked to brush their teeth first, then use dental floss to clean the spaces between their teeth (brush-floss). In a second phase, the same group was asked to use floss, then brush their teeth (floss-brush). Researchers found that the amount of plaque between the teeth and in the mouth overall was significantly reduced when participants used the floss-brush approach.

The researchers contend that as flossing loosens bacteria and debris from between the teeth, brushing afterward (when the mouth is rinsed with water) further clears the mouth of these particles. Plaque bacteria are the primary culprit behind the development of periodontal disease, an inflammatory condition that occurs when bacteria accumulate below the gum line. Periodontal disease can lead to swelling, irritation, gum recession and tooth loss if left untreated.

“Patients often ask which step should come first in their daily oral hygiene routine,” said Steven R. Daniel, DDS, president of the AAP. “While this study finds that flossing before brushing may result in the reduction of plaque, it’s important for everyone to remember to do both every day to maintain the health of their smiles.”

The study also found that fluoride, a mineral that aids in the prevention of cavities and tooth decay, remained in the mouth at higher levels when participants flossed before brushing. Study subjects used a fluoride toothpaste during both phases of the investigation.

“As with choosing the right type of toothbrush and interdental cleaner, patients should also consult with their dentists on whether a fluoride toothpaste is best for them,” Daniel said.

The AAP recommends flossing regularly, brushing twice a day and undergoing yearly comprehensive periodontal evaluations for the prevention of periodontal disease, which is treatable and often reversible with proper and timely care from a periodontist.

The complete study can be found on the JOP portal of the Wiley Online Library – click here

(Source: American Academy of Periodontology)

Find the article here

HELSINKI, Finland — Oral health might play an important role in preventing cancer, two recent studies suggest.

Researchers from the University of Helsinki say the bacteria Treponema denticola, which causes periodontitis, is linked to the development of certain oral cancers, as well as pancreatic and others.

In one study, the researchers found the same indicators of the bacteria in malignant tumors in the gastrointestinal tract, which is believed connected to the onset of pancreatic cancer. These indicators stem primarily from a certain enzyme associated with the bacteria.

A second study of 70,000 Finnish patients showed the enzyme has the ability to activate other enzymes that cancer cells use to invade healthy tissue. The bacterial virulence factor, enhanced by its distinct enzyme, has been found to spread from the mouth to elsewhere in the body. The study proved that periodontitis has a clear association with death by cancer.

“These studies have demonstrated for the first time that the virulence factors of the central pathogenic bacteria underlying gum disease are able to spread from the mouth to other parts of the body, most likely in conjunction with the bacteria, and take part in central mechanisms of tissue destruction related to cancer,” says Timo Sorsa, a professor at the university, in a release.

The authors say the findings highlight the importance of taking preventative steps against periodontitis. Tackling the condition in its earliest development can not only ensure not just a healthier mouth, but a healthier body too.

“In the long run, this is extremely cost-effective for society,” says Sorsa.

The first study was published Feb. 6, 2018 in the British Journal of Cancer. The second was published Jan. 11, 2018 in the International Journal of Cancer.

Find the article here

Your teeth and your brain are both housed in your head, but what does oral care have to do with the health of your brain? That’s the question scientists were trying to answer when they discovered that periodontal disease—an inflammatory condition that eventually leads to the loss of teeth—could kick start Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago conducted a study published in the journal PLOS One that showed mice with the bacteria that causes gum disease had inflammation and deterioration in their brains, too.

“Other studies have demonstrated a close association between periodontitis and cognitive impairment, but this is the first study to show that exposure to the periodontal bacteria results in the formation of senile plaques that accelerate the development of neuropathology found in Alzheimer’s patients,” said Dr. Keiko Watanabe, professor of periodontics at the UIC College of Dentistry and corresponding author on the study.

Watanabe is referring to previous studies that have shown that people who have gum disease for ten or more years have a higher risk of dementia by up to 70 percent. Those studies analyzed over 28,000 people and concluded that those who brush their teeth more are less likely to develop the disease.

For this study, Watanabe and his colleague applied the periodontal bacteria to the mouths of 10 mice for 22 weeks. They then compared the brain tissue of those mice to a control group. The mice exposed to the bacteria had more inflammation and fewer neurons still intact in their brains. Through an analysis of the proteins in the tissue, they saw that the exposed mice had more beta-amyloid plaques—a bio-marker of Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our data not only demonstrate the movement of bacteria from the mouth to the brain, but also that chronic infection leads to neural effects similar to Alzheimer’s,” Watanabe said.

When scientists looked at the RNA in the brain, they saw that more genes associated with inflammation were expressed in mice with the bacteria. Inflammation has been pinpointed as a potential cause of Alzheimer’s and the formation of plaques.

“This was a big surprise,” Watanabe said. “We did not expect that the periodontal pathogen would have this much influence on the brain, or that the effects would so thoroughly resemble Alzheimer’s disease.”

Dementia isn’t the only disease associated with Alzheimer’s; oral health has been tied to cancers like HPV as well as cardiovascular disease. Some studies have shown that the bacteria that breaks down gums and loosens teeth can transfer into the bloodstream, raising the protein that triggers inflammation.

“Oral hygiene is an important predictor of disease, including diseases that happen outside the mouth,” she said. “People can do so much for their personal health by taking oral health seriously.”

Find the article here

“Been to the dentist recently for a cleaning?”

(Actually, no I haven’t.)

“Well, at least you brush your teeth at least twice a day, every day, without fail, right?”

(As a matter of fact, I do let it slide sometime and I could be a lot better at it. But it’s not that big a deal, right?)

_________________

If this sounds like a conversation that you’ve had with someone – or one that simply took place in your own head – this failure to act is not only damaging your teeth but possibly undermining your overall health as well.

It’s been established that poor dental hygiene has been linked to, or associated with, a range of health problems, some of them serious. And what many people fail to realize is that they can improve their chances of staying in good health if they simply made sure to take good care of their teeth.

The reason is that your mouth is a repository of bacteria. And when you brush, and floss, and go to the dentist for a cleaning, with the help of your saliva you’re clearing these out. Dental experts say that over 500 bacterial species are present in plaque, found below the gum line. If they’re not regularly cleaned out periodontal disease, which includes gingivitis, forms (see photo).

That bacteria, it’s believed, then enters the bloodstream and makes its way to the lining of the heart, which can create a condition known as endocarditis. And while the exact connection has been difficult to identify, the American Heart Association has stated that there’s an association between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. Conversely, the AHA has indicated that proper gum hygiene helps lower blood pressure.

“Periodontal disease is now recognized by the cardiology community to be a direct risk factor for coronary arterial disease, peripheral arterial disease and stroke,” states Sam Shamardi, a clinical instructor in the Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s division of periodontology, speaking to US News. “The common link to these and other diseases is inflammation.”

In 2015, a study in the Journal of the American Dental Association found that chronic periodontitis, “a severe form of gum disease that can lead to tooth loss,” affected “47.2 percent of the adult U.S. population aged 30 years or older.”

Both the AHA and ADA recognize that these health issues referenced above are associated with periodontal disease, and they’re not exactly sure of the direct connection. Despite this, brushing one’s teeth is a simple task that provides its own benefits, which include tooth decay prevention and better breath.

Find the article here