Reduce your risk of periodontal disease

Let’s Get a Bite

Are you diligent about your dental health?

Let’s say you are. Let’s say you brush three times each day, floss daily, and visit your dentist for regular checkups and cleaning. Given all that, you might think you’re doing everything you can to prevent gum disease. But there’s another important you can take that might not seem to have a direct connection to dental health.

Good behavior

This past summer I sent you an e-Alert (“Long in the Tooth” 8/31/05) about a study that showed how periodontitis risk dropped among subjects who practiced one or more of these three “health-enhancing” behaviors: 1) getting regular exercise, 2) maintaining proper body weight, and 3) including plenty of nutritious, unrefined foods in your diet.

Periodontitis is a form of periodontal disease in which the gums and bone that support teeth become infected. Researchers believe that inflammation associated with periodontitis may also play a role in the development of heart disease. About three out of 10 people suffer from periodontitis.

In last summer’s study, researchers collected data on more than 12,000 subjects who participated in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). When incidence of periodontitis was evaluated, results showed that subjects who participated in all three of the healthy behaviors mentioned above reduced their risk of the disease by 40 percent.

Getting active

A new study – reported last October in the Journal of Dentistry – also utilized NHANES III data to focus on just one of those healthy behaviors: exercise.

Researchers at the King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Saudi Arabia examined data on more than 2,500 subjects. Each of the subjects had undergone periodontal examinations, and each subject reported that their level of physical activity and exercise had remained unchanged for ten years or longer.

Two levels of risk were defined by the results:
Subjects who engaged in moderate exercise less than three times each week had a 33 percent reduced risk of periodontitis compared to subjects who didn’t exercise at all
Those who vigorously exercised three or more times each week reduced their risk by more than 50 percent compared to non-exercising subjects
Lowered risks only occurred in non-smokers or former smokers. Risk was not reduced among smokers who exercised.

What to bite into

The two studies mentioned here confirm previous research that demonstrates how healthy habits appear to have a direct link to dental health.

For instance, a 2000 study in the Journal of Periodontology confirmed earlier studies showing that people who have an inadequate intake of vitamin C tend to have higher rates of periodontal disease. Vitamin C is believed to help repair and maintain healthy connective tissue.

And William Campbell Douglass II, M.D., offered this typically strong opinion about general dietary guidelines for dental health in his Daily Dose e-letter: “I have always said, and still maintain, that you can brush your teeth after every meal, water-pick them, floss them, and go to the dental hygienist every month and you will still get cavities and gum disease if your diet is loaded with sugar and other carbohydrates and is deficient in animal protein and fat.”

High glycemic carbohydrates in particular may increase periodontitis risk. The glycemic index (GI) is a measurement system developed to help diabetic patients manage their blood glucose levels. A steady intake of high GI foods promotes a gradual insensitivity to insulin – the precursor of type 2 diabetes. And diabetes happens to increase the risk of periodontal diseases.

You can estimate the GI rating of various foods by searching a free database on this web site: glycemicindex.com.

Sources:

“Increased Physical Activity Reduces Prevalence of Periodontitis” Journal of Dentistry, Vol. 33, No. 9, October 2005, elsevier.com
“Periodontitis and Three Heath-Enhancing Behaviors: Maintaining Normal Weight, Engaging in Recommended Level of Exercise, and Consuming a High-Quality Diet” Journal of Periodontology, Vol. 76, No. 8, August 2005, perio.org
“Case Researchers Find Exercise, Eating Right and Maintaining Weight Benefit Oral Health” Case Western Reserve University Press Release, 8/22/05, eurekalert.org
“Giving Strokes the Brush” William Campbell Douglass II, M.D., The Daily Dose, 6/25/02, realhealthnews.com