Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract and is divided into Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Periodontal (gum) disease is an infection of the tissues that hold your teeth in place.
It’s often caused by poor brushing and flossing habits that allow plaque—a sticky film of bacteria—to build up on the teeth and harden.
In advanced stages, periodontal disease can lead to sore, bleeding gums; painful chewing problems; and even tooth loss.
In a study from the University of Turin in Italy, scientists found Patients with IBD have a significantly higher frequency of periodontitis than healthy people.
They assessed the prevalence and risk indicators of periodontitis in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC).
In the study, the team examined 180 patients with IBD, and 180 matched healthy people.
The researchers found that much more patients with IBD had moderate/severe periodontitis (85.6 versus 65.6 percent) and severe periodontitis (36.7 versus 25.6 percent) versus healthy people.
Differences were more obvious in the 35- to 50-year-old and 51- to 65-year-old age groups, but without significant differences between CD and UC.
Overall, people with IBD had ~3.5 times higher chances of having moderate/severe periodontitis.
Older age, presence of IBD, and higher full-mouth plaque scores were strongly linked to periodontitis in the full sample, while gender (male), IBD-associated surgery, IBD duration, and localization (pancolitis) were strong factors in the IBD group.
The team says preventive and therapy involving the gum-gut axis should be enforced in IBD patients.
If you care about gum health, please read studies about new causes of tooth decay and gum diseases, and common heartburn drugs may benefit your tooth and gum health.
For more information about gum health, please see recent studies about common mouthwash that may harm your teeth, and results showing gum disease may double your risk of high blood pressure.
The study was conducted by Giacomo Baima et al and published in the Journal of Periodontology.
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