22 February 2010

Did anyone see the "Live Healthy" article about a link between gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis in the February issue of Shape Magazine? The article says:

At the end of a long day, it's tempting to cut corners on the whole floss-brush-rinse routine. But a new study from the University of Minnesota reveals that skimping on your dental care can harm your joints along with your teeth. Researchers found that people with gum disease are nearly three times as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis - a condition that can cause stiffness, pain, and fatigue - than those with healthy grins. Since gum disease has also been linked to heart problems, it's worth spending a little more time on your mouth, starting tonight!

So brushing your teeth can prevent you from developing rheumatoid arthritis and heart problems?! Or is it just that gum disease is an inflammatory disease, and the presence of one inflammatory disease may indicate the presence of another inflammatory disease like rheumatoid arthritis or heart disease?
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2 comments:

  1. KrystalP495February 22, 2010 at 12:35 PM

    I was wondering the same thing. What is it that links healthy teeth and gums to heart disease?

    I looked up periodontal disease and found that according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, "Periodontal diseases range from simple gum inflammation to serious disease that results in major damage to the soft tissue and bone that support the teeth. In the worst cases, teeth are lost." This made me wonder if the link between periodontal disease and heart disease is dependent on the severity of the disease.

    Does tooth loss due to the disease increase the the likelihood of getting heart disease more than "simple gum inflammation"?

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  2. LaceyGFebruary 22, 2010 at 9:23 PM

    As discussed in class, there seems to be many theories of how gum disease and heart disease are linked. One theory is that oral bacteria can affect the heart when they enter the blood stream, attaching to fatty plaques in the coronary arteries and contributing to clot formation. Another possibility is that the inflammation caused by periodontal disease increases plaque build up, which may contribute to swelling of the arteries. Periodontal disease can also exacerbate existing heart conditions. Patients at risk for infective endocarditis sometimes require antibiotics prior to dental procedures depending on severity.
    The theories have been examined in many scientific studies,however, while these studies have not definitively proven that gum disease causes heart disease, they have clearly shown that there is some correlation between the two.

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