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Health Connection > Others

Other health issues linked to oral inflection.

Alzheimer’s

Studies show that lifetime exposure to inflammation, including gum disease, may have a significant impact on the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. According to researchers from the University of Southern California, “Exposure to inflammation early in life quadruples one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease”.

Long-held beliefs about the links between Alzheimer’s and inflammation are being reviewed in light of recent evidence indicating that inflammation may not be a by product of Alzheimer’s disease but may in fact be one of the contributing, preventable factors – remove or control the bacterial inflammation and reduce one of the possible, preventable contributing factors³.

Kidney Disease

Research conducted at Case Western University published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases indicated Periodontal Disease as a non-traditional risk factor for developing kidney disease. Researchers found that subjects with Periodontal Disease were nearly twice as likely to have chronic kidney disease.

Results indicated that those with any level of periodontal infection or disease, including those with minor gum loss, were at a increased risk for developing chronic kidney disease⁴.

Lung Infections

Bacteria in your mouth can be aspirated/inhaled into the lungs to cause respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, especially in people with gum disease. The greater the amounts of bacteria present in the mouth the more likely this is to occur, and if more ‘bad’ bacteria are present, the infection created in the lungs is more likely to be a problem.

Lung infections caused by an overgrowth of oral bacteria largely affect the elderly, especially if they are on ventilators or in hospital. Elderly individuals tend to suffer from decreased salivary production, which normally helps flush oral debris and bacteria to the gut. Studies have shown that proper home care and dental treatment for individuals in nursing homes could prevent approximately 1 in 10 pneumonia deaths⁵.

For these at risk populations, therapies that could inhibit and control the overgrowth of harmful bacteria could save lives. Ask your dental professional if this might be a benefit for you or someone you care about.

Arthritis

According to a 2001 study in the Journal of Periodontology, Australian subjects with rheumatoid arthritis were twice as likely to have periodontal disease (determined through jawbone loss and missing teeth), than those in a control group.  The researchers did not definitively state whether Periodontal Disease actually caused the arthritis, but some scientists believe that the periodontal bacteria may trigger the disease process⁶.

There is certainly no harm in reducing the number of disease-causing bacteria in the oral cavity given the broad range of negative effects on the body as a whole.

Cancer

According to a recent British study published in Lancet Oncology, participants with a history of Periodontal Disease had a 14% increased risk of cancer compared with subject who did not have the disease.

Spearheaded by Dr. Michaud of the Imperial College London, the study found significant associations between a history of periodontal disease and Lung Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer and hematologic cancers like leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Dr. Michaud and colleagues found significant associations between a history of periodontal disease and several cancers, including:

• A 36% increase in risk of lung cancer
• A 49% increase in the risk of kidney cancer
• A 54% increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer
• And a 30% increase in the risk of hematologic cancers, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma⁷

In an earlier study, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that periodontal disease was associated with an increased risk of cancer of the pancreas. The study appeared in the January 17, 2007 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute⁸.

The results showed that, after adjusting for age, smoking, diabetes, body mass index and a number of other factors, men with periodontal disease had a 63% higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to those reporting no periodontal disease. The most convincing finding was that “never-smokers had a two-fold increase in risk of pancreatic cancer,”

3. Inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s Disease J Am Dent Assoc, 2005;136(8):1084.
4. Fisher MA, et al., Clinical and Serologic Markers of Periodontal Infection and Chronic Kidney Disease, J of Periodontology 2008;79(9):1670-1678
5. Scannapieco FA, Mylotte JM Relationships between periodontal disease and bacterial pneumonia J Periodontol. 1996 Oct;67(10 Suppl):1114-22.
6. Mercado FB, et al.,  Relationship Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Periodontitis  Journal of Periodontology June 2001, 72(6):779-787
7. Lancet Oncol 2008; 9(6): 550-58.
8. JNCI, 2007; 99:1-5.}