Gum disease increases risk of other illness such as mental health and
heart conditions, study suggests

Date:
December 20, 2021
Source:
University of Birmingham
Summary:
A new study shows an increased risk of patients developing illnesses
including mental ill-health and heart conditions if they have a GP-
inputted medical history of gum disease.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A University of Birmingham-led study shows an increased risk of patients developing illnesses including mental ill-health and heart conditions
if they have a GP-inputted medical history of periodontal (gum) disease.


========================================================================== Experts carried out a first of its kind study of the GP records of 64,379 patients who had a GP-inputted recorded history of periodontal disease, including gingivitis and periodontitis (the condition that occurs if
gum disease is left untreated and can lead to tooth loss). Of these,
60,995 had gingivitis and 3,384 had periodontitis. These patients'
records were compared to those of 251,161 patients who had no record of periodontal disease. Across the cohorts, the average age was 44 years and
43% were male, while 30% were smokers. Body Mass Index (BMI), ethnicity
and deprivation levels were also similar across the groups.

The researchers examined the data to establish how many of the patients
with and without periodontal disease go on to develop cardiovascular
disease (e.g., heart failure, stroke, vascular dementia), cardiometabolic disorders (e.g., high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes), autoimmune
conditions (e.g., arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, psoriasis), and mental
ill-health (e.g., depression, anxiety and serious mental illness) over
an average follow-up of around three years.

From the research, published today in journal BMJ Open,the team discovered
that those patients with a recorded history of periodontal disease at
the start of the study were more likely to go on and be diagnosed with
one of these additional conditions over an average of three years,
compared to those in the cohort without periodontal disease at the
beginning of the research. The results of the study showed, in patients
with a recorded history of periodontal disease at the start of the
study, the increased risk of developing mental ill- health was 37%,
while the risk of developing autoimmune disease was increased by 33%,
and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease was raised by 18%,
while the risk of having a cardiometabolic disorder was increased by 7%
(with the increased risk much higher for Type 2 diabetes at 26%).

Co-first author, Dr Joht Singh Chandan, of the University of Birmingham's Institute of Applied Health Research, said: "Poor oral health is extremely common, both here in the UK and globally. When oral ill-health progresses,
it can lead to a substantially reduced quality of life. However, until
now, not much has been known about the association of poor oral health
and many chronic diseases, particularly mental ill-health.Therefore,
we conducted one of the largest epidemiological studies of its kind
to date, using UK primary care data to explore the association between periodontal disease and several chronic conditions. We found evidence
that periodontal disease appears to be associated with an increased risk
of developing these associated chronic diseases. As periodontal diseases
are very common, an increased risk of other chronic diseases may represent
a substantial public health burden." The research was partly funded by
Versus Arthritis's Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research based at
the University of Birmingham, and supported by the National Institute
for Health Research (NIHR) Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre.

Caroline Aylott, Head of Research Delivery at Versus Arthritis, said:
"Some of the biggest challenges of arthritis, especially auto-immune
conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) which affects 400,000 people
in the UK, is being able to know who is more at risk of developing it,
and finding ways to prevent it.

Previous studies have shown that people with RA were four
times more likely to have gum disease than their RA-free
counterparts and it tended to be more severe. This research
provides further clear evidence why healthcare professionals
need to be vigilant for early signs of gum disease and how it can
have wide-reaching implications for a person's health, reinforcing
the importance of taking a holistic approach when treating people." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Birmingham. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Dawit T Zemedikun, Joht Singh Chandan, Devan Raindi, Amarkumar
Dhirajlal
Rajgor, Krishna Margadhmane Gokhale, Tom Thomas, Marie Falahee,
Paola De Pablo, Janet M Lord, Karim Raza, Krishnarajah
Nirantharakumar. Burden of chronic diseases associated with
periodontal diseases: a retrospective cohort study using
UK primary care data. BMJ Open, 2021; 11 (12): e048296 DOI:
10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048296 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211220083114.htm

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