periodontitis

Physical activity can help reduce gum disease

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An interesting article titled “Leisure-Time and Occupational Physical Activity Demonstrate Divergent Associations with Periodontitis: A Population-Based Study,” appears in the January 2, 2023, edition of Journal of Clinical Periodontology written by Marruganti Crystal et al. The article discusses how physical activity can help to reduce inflammation, which can potentially decrease the risk of developing periodontitis also known as gum disease. Reducing gum disease has been discussed before on this site, see for example the posts Blueberry extract could help treat periodontitis and Natural Supplements to Improve your Periodontal Health. In the article the authors examine data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2014 database. They retrieved data from 10,679 adults and assessed physical activity from the Global Physical Activity questionnaire which classified activity as either high or low leisure-time or occupational activity. A full-mouth periodontal examination was … Read more

Dentists Seek new Guidelines for Gum Disease

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An interesting article titled “When is periodontal maintenance not enough?: The need for clinical guidance,” appears in the Journal of the American Dental Association published on January 21, 2023, written by Stephen K. Harrel and et. al. The article discusses how dentistry should seek to make new guidelines that address the management of periodontal patients who have continued inflammation. In the article discussion is made of how scaling and root planing is typically the first treatment for periodontal disease does not always eliminate inflammation. The initial treatment of periodontal disease consists of the removal of biofilm and calculus and patient education to help them continue to maintain oral hygiene in the future. The authors feel that in the case when inflammation persists, dentists should discuss to the patient advanced therapies and the risks of not undergoing these therapies while also … Read more

Does a Parasite in the Mouth Contribute to Periodontitis?

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An interesting article titled “Entamoeba gingivalis Causes Oral Inflammation and Tissue Destruction,” appears in the Journal of Dental Research written by X. Bao and et al. (vol. 99, no. 5, pp. 561–567, 2020). The article seeks to explore the protozoan Entamoeba gingivalis (E. gingivalis) in inflamed periodontal pockets. In the article, the authors sought to validate the frequency of the Entamoeba gingivalis by analyzing the gums of 158 people with periodontitis and healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction and microscopy tests. A total of 107 of the people in the study were healthy controls while 51 had periodontitis. For those healthy control patients, E. gingivalis was detected in oral cavities in 15% of these patients. For those with periodontitis, E. gingivalis was detected in 77% of inflamed periodontal sites and 22% of healthy sites. The authors state “In conjunction with abundant … Read more

Too Much Sugar Consumption is Leading to Increased Dental Treatments

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At the global level the costs of dental treatment are currently running at around 172 billion US dollars. Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the Biotechnology Research and Information Network AG (BRAIN AG) carried out research within the alliance NatLifE 2020. The alliance is co-financed by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, with the aim of understanding of biological systems leading to the development of a new generation of sustainably produced and biological active substances for foods and cosmetics. The researchers evaluated data on the prevalence of caries, inflammation of gums (periodontitis) and tooth loss, costs of treatments, and sugar consumption, in 168 countries for the year 2010. Using this data they calculated the share of total costs due to excessive consumption of sugar. The researchers looked into consumption of white household sugar and sugar in processed products, … Read more

Natural Supplements to Improve your Periodontal Health

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Taking natural supplements can provide excellent health benefits. Previously, on this site there has been discussion of how the omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil could help potentially improve periodontitis, see the post Fish Oil to Help Periodontal Disease. Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease that is increasingly the cause of tooth loss and a common reason for needing to have wisdom teeth extracted. It is the sixth most common disease in the world. Different pharmaceutical drugs can be used for treatment; however, many are instead interested in natural therapies. Fortunately, research continues to show that omega-3 fatty acids can be used as an adjunct to periodontal therapy. Omega fatty acids are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which cannot be synthesized by the body and must be ingested with food or obtained through supplementation. In a study titled “What is the … Read more