Gum Disease Now Linked to Mental Health Issues and Autoimmune Diseases
One of the largest and most comprehensive studies to date has determined that gum disease increases one’s risk of developing cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases as well as mental health issues.
An article by New Atlas about the study says that patients (average age of 45) with periodontal disease were “33 percent more likely to develop an autoimmune disease (such as arthritis or psoriasis) and 18 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (including stroke or heart failure). In the study’s most novel finding gum disease was associated with a 37 percent increased risk for mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.”
We’ve said before that left untreated and without proper maintenance, gum disease can lead to infections and a host of other issues including tooth loss, diabetes, and heart disease. Now we can add autoimmune disease and mental health issues to that list.
Your oral health is important to your overall health. When you properly care for your teeth and gums on a daily basis, starting at a young age, you will most likely not have to worry about gum disease. But you won’t know for certain without regular dental checkups. You should also let your dentist know about other health issues — after all, that first D in DDS stands for doctor. Dr. Frazar and the other dentists in our practice have extensive backgrounds in oral health and continually stay abreast of new research.
The main causes of gum disease are poor oral hygiene and tobacco use and gingivitis, which approximately 90 percent of people have globally, is considered a warning sign and the primary intervention point for preventing periodontitis. We cannot stress enough how much brushing your teeth along with flossing/interdental brushing at home and maintaining your routine dental hygiene visits remain the most important aspects of prevention.
Adhering to your regular check-ups means issues are caught earlier and can be treated with much less risk, pain, injury, and cost to you.
