A groundbreaking study from the University of Sydney has uncovered a strong connection between poor oral health and higher levels of pain in women, especially those suffering from chronic conditions like fibromyalgia.
The study, published in Frontiers in Pain Research, suggests that the tiny organisms living in our mouths—known as the oral microbiome—may influence how much pain we feel in other parts of the body, including the head, abdomen, and muscles.
This is the first time researchers have explored how oral health and oral bacteria might be related to common pain symptoms in women with fibromyalgia, a chronic illness that affects about 67% of the women who took part in the study.
Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain throughout the body, along with headaches, fatigue, sleep problems, and brain fog. While the condition is common, it is still often misunderstood and underdiagnosed.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Joanna Harnett and Ph.D. candidate Sharon Erdrich, both from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health, led the study. They found that women with poor oral health were more likely to report higher levels of pain. This included more frequent migraines, abdominal discomfort, and overall body pain.
To conduct the research, the team surveyed women from New Zealand, both with and without fibromyalgia. Participants answered questions about their oral health using a standard survey from the World Health Organization.
They also reported their experiences with pain through several well-known tools, such as the International Headache Society’s migraine survey and a pain severity index for bowel disorders.
One of the study’s most striking findings was that 60% of women with the worst oral health reported moderate to severe body pain, and nearly half were more likely to experience migraines. Poor oral health turned out to be a significant predictor of frequent and ongoing headaches.
But what makes this study especially interesting is its focus on the bacteria living in the mouth. Researchers used advanced DNA-based tools to study the oral microbiome of the participants.
They discovered that certain bacterial species—specifically from the Dialister, Fusobacterium, Parvimonas, and Solobacterium groups—were strongly linked to pain levels. These findings remained even after accounting for differences in age, body weight, and sugar intake.
The team also noticed a small but meaningful link between poor diet and poor oral health. Women who ate less healthy diets tended to have worse oral health, though this part of the research needs further study.
This research suggests that the health of our mouths—and the microscopic organisms living there—might play a much bigger role in how we experience pain than previously thought. It also opens up new possibilities for treating chronic pain conditions.
For example, improving oral hygiene or changing the makeup of oral bacteria could one day become part of pain management plans.
While more research is needed to fully understand the relationship, these early findings highlight the importance of good oral hygiene—not just for keeping your teeth and gums healthy, but potentially for reducing pain and improving quality of life.
The Australian Dental Association continues to recommend brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing daily, and getting regular dental check-ups. Based on this new research, those steps might also help protect more than just your smile.
If you care about gum health, please read studies about an important causes of tooth decay and gum disease, and common tooth disease that may increase risks of dementia.
For more health information, please see recent studies about mouthwash that may increase your tooth damage, and results showing this diet could help treat gum disease.
The research findings can be found in Frontiers in Pain Research.
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