The list of health dangers linked to gum disease just got longer

Tooth and Bone

Brush and floss daily and you’ll have a beautiful set of choppers to show the world with every smile.

More importantly, you’ll avoid raising your risk of some very dangerous diseases.

The C word

In previous e-Alerts I’ve told you about research that linked periodontitis to higher risk of heart disease and metabolic syndrome (a precursor of type 2 diabetes).

Periodontitis is a disease in which the gums and bone that support your teeth become infected. Inflammation associated with periodontitis is the most likely factor that plays a role in the development of heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

Because cancer is strongly associated with infection and inflammation, researchers at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY, mounted a study to determine a possible relationship between chronic periodontitis and head and neck cancer.

The Roswell team enrolled more than 260 subjects who had been diagnosed with head and neck cancer. A group of 207 healthy control subjects was also enrolled.

Panoramic x-rays were used to measure periodontal bone status in each subject. Comparison of x-rays showed that head and neck cancer risk increased more than FOUR TIMES with each millimeter of bone loss.

Inflammation relief

If your dentist says you have gum disease, it’s time to call in the antioxidants – and you have a few different options.

In the e-Alert “Let’s Get a Bite” (1/4/06), I looked at a study that linked inadequate vitamin C intake with periodontal disease. Vitamin C has been shown to maintain healthy connective tissue.

In 2003 I told you about research where subjects with healthy gums had high levels of the antioxidant glutathione in the crevices under their teeth. Subjects with periodontal disease had lower glutathione levels.

And a little direct sunlight every day might help the cause, too. Back in 2007, I told you about another study that linked low levels of vitamin D with higher risk of periodontal disease.

HSI members may also recall a remarkable gum disease treatment we told you about in the HSI Members Alert. Peri- Gum is an herbal mouthwash that’s been shown to reduce gum inflammation so effectively that many patients have avoided oral surgery.

Talk to a doctor (or your dentist) before adding new supplements to your daily regimen.

Source:
“Chronic Periodontitis and the Incidence of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Vol. 18, No. 9, September 2009, cebpaacrjournals.org