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If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then the gums are the binoculars to the rest of your body.
Since the early 90s, the American Academy of Periodontology has been stressing the link between gum disease and systemic illness, such as diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and even the birth of premature, low-weight babies.
"There is a correlation between the health of your mouth and the health of your whole body," says dentist and former assistant professor of periodontics, Antonio Moretti at the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. "The fact that you have infection in your mouth, which is what gum disease is, may trigger other parts of your body to respond improperly."
There are two main forms of gum disease, both of which are caused by bacterial plaque. Bacterial plaque is a combination of saliva and bacteria that forms a sticky substance that accumulates on teeth. The first form of gum disease is gingivitis, which is caused by plaque and generally characterized by inflammation of the gums. Some forms of gingivitis are mild while others cause severe inflammation.
The second and more severe form of gum disease is periodontitis. As in gingivitis, bacterial plaque is the cause, Moretti says. Periodontitis affects not only gums but also deteriorates the bone surrounding the teeth. Much like a wobbly picket fence that has pulled away from the ground, bone loss diminishes support for the teeth, which causes them to drift out of alignment and loosen.
Researchers have discovered that gum disease-causing bacteria or the chemical by-products from bacteria and inflammation are carried throughout the body by the blood stream. Those by-products may exacerbate or contribute to health problems in the far reaches of your body.
“There is increasing evidence that there's a lot in common between infections in your mouth and other systemic problems that may happen in your body, such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, respiratory diseases, and even the birth of premature low-weight babies,” Moretti says.
Premature, low-weight babies is a serious health problem. Risk factors such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse may lead to a premature low-weight birth, but in the last 10 years researchers have studied the correlation between infection in the mouth and premature births.
"The results are intriguing," Moretti says. "Research has shown that a woman with gum disease is seven times more likely to have a premature baby. We don't understand this correlation completely yet. Similarly to other mouth and body correlations, bacteria and chemical by-products from gum disease are the main culprits."
Research centers all over the world are also reporting on the correlation between gum disease and problem pregnancy, he says.
"If you have gum disease and you get pregnant, you are at high risk," Moretti says. "If gum disease gets worse during pregnancy, then the risk for having a low-weight premature baby gets even higher."
The link between gum disease and diabetes is especially strong, Moretti says. If a patient has diabetes, he is already at increased risk to develop gum disease. Periodontitis is the sixth leading complication of diabetes, and a diabetic is four times more likely to develop gum disease.
"Diabetes is like a two-way street," Moretti says. "If you have diabetes, you may have periodontal disease, but periodontal disease makes it more difficult for people with diabetes to control their blood sugar."
Studies have shown though that some diabetics who have been treated for gum disease decrease their insulin medication after treatment.
Medical researchers have two main theories to explain the link between gum disease and heart disease and stroke.
One theory is that the bacteria from periodontal disease enter the blood stream and stick to the blood vessels, creating a thickening of the walls, which may end up clogging these vessels. The second theory is that the chemical by-products from gum disease cause the same clogging effect. The chemicals may come from the by-products of the bacteria or from the chemicals produced by the body's own immune system.
Periodontitis may affect stroke, which is basically the same blocking of blood vessels in the brain instead of the heart. Either the bacteria or chemical by-products help to clog blood vessels in the brain.
"Simple prevention is the easiest and least expensive way to avoid gum disease," Moretti reminds us.
Basically, with about two to three minutes of proper tooth brushing all around the teeth—inside and outside—and most importantly, correct flossing, Moretti says, one can prevent serious dental problems.
"I know that it is not easy to floss properly, especially the back teeth. But most of the problems with decay and gum disease are found in between the teeth only because it is hard to remove the plaque that accumulates in these hard-to-reach areas," Moretti says.
He says that proper training from your dentist, together with a fluoride therapy that works for you will go a long way to keep the whole body safe.
Smoking, which already is one of the leading causes of stroke, heart disease and low-weight births is also a serious risk factor for periodontitis. "Depending on the study, on average, smokers are four or more times as likely to have periodontitis as compared to persons who never smoked. It is also estimated that about 40 percent of periodontitis cases are due to current smoking.
The bottom line is simple, Moretti says, "If you really want to be healthy, your mouth needs to be healthy."
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Dr. Antonio Moretti, former assistant professor of periodontics at the UT Dental Branch.
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Eating healthy
reverses metabolic syndrome
Dr. Tasnime Akbaraly of University College London and her colleagues were interested if healthy eating could actually turn-the-tide and reverse metabolic syndrome, which is having 3 or more of the following risk factors: excess abdominal fat; high triglycerides, hypertension, low levels of HDL the “good” cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes. Having metabolic syndrome doubles a persons’ risk of heart disease and greatly increases the odds of developing type 2 diabetes.
The researchers studied 339 British civil servants with metabolic syndrome, and how closely the adhered to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) to see if it could help reverse metabolic syndrome. The AHEI is a set of published nutritional guidelines by the Harvard School of Public Health in 2002 that emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables and decreased red meat consumption.
Five years into the study, nearly 50% no longer had metabolic syndrome. People who followed the AHEI guidelines the closest were nearly twice as likely to have reversed their metabolic syndrome. The results of the study were published in Diabetes Care, online July 29, 2010.
Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, an expert on diet and heart health from Tufts University in Boston who was not involved in the study said, "It's not about focusing on individual components of the diet, it's really the whole package, and that becomes important because it means that if one of the components of a healthy diet is to eat more fruits and vegetables, just buying a pill saying that there's a concentrated extract of fruits and vegetables is probably not what's going to help you."
Call and make an appointment with Wellness Coach Sam Hester, CWC, CPT, LWMC, at 713-500-3327. It's confidential and free. For more information on the wellness services provided, visit UT Counseling and WorkLife Services.
