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Oral Health
Why Flossing Isn't Enough To Protect You From Periodontitis
Date: 17/01/06
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 step you can take that might not seem to have a direct connection to dental health.
Simple steps to protect gum health
This past summer I sent you an e-alert ('Avoid gum disease with these healthy habits' 6/9/05) 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, US 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 behaviours mentioned above reduced their risk of the disease by 40 percent.
Exercise plays a key role in periodontitis prevention
A new study - reported last October in the Journal of Dentistry - also utilised NHANES III data to focus on just one of those healthy behaviours: 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.
Low glycaemic foods are better for your gums
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 US physician Dr. William Campbell Douglass II, 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 glycaemic carbohydrates in particular may increase periodontitis risk. The glycaemic 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: www.glycemicindex.com
Back to topLet'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 step you can take that might not seem to have a direct connection to dental health.
Simple steps to protect gum health
This past summer I sent you an e-alert ('Avoid gum disease with these healthy habits' 6/9/05) 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, US 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 behaviours mentioned above reduced their risk of the disease by 40 percent.
Exercise plays a key role in periodontitis prevention
A new study - reported last October in the Journal of Dentistry - also utilised NHANES III data to focus on just one of those healthy behaviours: 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.
Low glycaemic foods are better for your gums
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 US physician Dr. William Campbell Douglass II, 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 glycaemic carbohydrates in particular may increase periodontitis risk. The glycaemic 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: www.glycemicindex.com
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