A new study has found that obese men, besides carrying extra weight, also have a higher potential for painful, potentially dangerous gum issues than their normal weight adults counterparts.
No doubt you've heard of gingivitis - The milder and reversible form of gum disease. However, if left untreated gingivitis can progress to periodontitis, which is when bacteria in the plaque irritates the gums and provokes an inflammatory reaction that can be destructive.
As a silently progressing condition, periodontal disease often doesn't show symptoms until it has a firm foothold in your mouth.
In this latest work, researchers looked at data for nearly 37,000 men who were part of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) that began in 1986.
The program was created to compliment the all-female Nurses' Health Study and looked at the connection between nutritional and the incidence of serious conditions like cancer, heart disease and vascular problems.
Lots of effort has already gone into determining the risk between gum disease and cardiovascular risk.
To see if there might be a relationship between periodontal disease and being overweight, the researchers analyzed information spanning 16 years for the subjects, all of whom were free of gum disease at the beginning of the research.
Information on height, weight, waist/hip measurements was gathered as well as self-reported gum problems. Using the universal definition of obesity, a BMI of 30 of higher, Monik Jimenez, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health, discovered that obesity was linked to an increased risk of periodontal disease.
Jimenez will present the research findings at the 2009 International Association for Dental Research general session.
Not only higher BMI's, but waist circumferences were also linked to a higher risk of gum disease. A waist measurement of 40 inches or more, considered a risk for heart disease, increased the risk of gum disease by 19%, when compared to those with measurements under 40-inches.
"Obesity was associated with a 29 percent increased risk of periodontal disease over the course of the study." Jimenez said.
Some good news is that there was only a small increase in risk of periodontal disease for those who were overweight, but not obese.
In a related work, researchers at the University of Puerto Rico found that a higher waist-hip ratio (WHR) was linked to a higher risk of moderately severe gum disease in both men and women over 70-years old.
In women, an elevated waist-to-hip ratio is .88 or above; for men it's .95 or higher. Here's how the calculation is made, a woman with a 36-inch waist and 40-inch hips has a WHR of .90 (36/40 = .90). Subjects with elevated waist-to-hip ratios were almost 6 times more likely to have periodontal disease.
This work continues to build on earlier studies that link gum disease with heart disease, as well as gum disease and cancer risk in males. Gum disease in diabetics is also known to be worse.
Worried about your own gums?
Your health?
To keep your mouth healthy, choose a heart healthy diet that's also beneficial for your gums, brush and clean regularly each day, and don't avoid regular dental check-ups.
Caught nice and early, periodontal disease can be treated - so you don't have to lose any teeth.
If you have sign or symptoms of gum problems, such as persistent swollen, red or bleeding gums, tooth sensitivity or bad breath, then a visit to your dentist is in order to make sure your mouth, and your whole body, stays healthy.
No doubt you've heard of gingivitis - The milder and reversible form of gum disease. However, if left untreated gingivitis can progress to periodontitis, which is when bacteria in the plaque irritates the gums and provokes an inflammatory reaction that can be destructive.
As a silently progressing condition, periodontal disease often doesn't show symptoms until it has a firm foothold in your mouth.
In this latest work, researchers looked at data for nearly 37,000 men who were part of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) that began in 1986.
The program was created to compliment the all-female Nurses' Health Study and looked at the connection between nutritional and the incidence of serious conditions like cancer, heart disease and vascular problems.
Lots of effort has already gone into determining the risk between gum disease and cardiovascular risk.
To see if there might be a relationship between periodontal disease and being overweight, the researchers analyzed information spanning 16 years for the subjects, all of whom were free of gum disease at the beginning of the research.
Information on height, weight, waist/hip measurements was gathered as well as self-reported gum problems. Using the universal definition of obesity, a BMI of 30 of higher, Monik Jimenez, a doctoral candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health, discovered that obesity was linked to an increased risk of periodontal disease.
Jimenez will present the research findings at the 2009 International Association for Dental Research general session.
Not only higher BMI's, but waist circumferences were also linked to a higher risk of gum disease. A waist measurement of 40 inches or more, considered a risk for heart disease, increased the risk of gum disease by 19%, when compared to those with measurements under 40-inches.
"Obesity was associated with a 29 percent increased risk of periodontal disease over the course of the study." Jimenez said.
Some good news is that there was only a small increase in risk of periodontal disease for those who were overweight, but not obese.
In a related work, researchers at the University of Puerto Rico found that a higher waist-hip ratio (WHR) was linked to a higher risk of moderately severe gum disease in both men and women over 70-years old.
In women, an elevated waist-to-hip ratio is .88 or above; for men it's .95 or higher. Here's how the calculation is made, a woman with a 36-inch waist and 40-inch hips has a WHR of .90 (36/40 = .90). Subjects with elevated waist-to-hip ratios were almost 6 times more likely to have periodontal disease.
This work continues to build on earlier studies that link gum disease with heart disease, as well as gum disease and cancer risk in males. Gum disease in diabetics is also known to be worse.
Worried about your own gums?
Your health?
To keep your mouth healthy, choose a heart healthy diet that's also beneficial for your gums, brush and clean regularly each day, and don't avoid regular dental check-ups.
Caught nice and early, periodontal disease can be treated - so you don't have to lose any teeth.
If you have sign or symptoms of gum problems, such as persistent swollen, red or bleeding gums, tooth sensitivity or bad breath, then a visit to your dentist is in order to make sure your mouth, and your whole body, stays healthy.
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