Poor oral health associated with chronic health problems, study
A recent study revealed that poor dental health could be potentially associated with chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes and cardiac disease.
According to a research published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, individuals with missing teeth, coated tongues and other signs of poor oral health were more expected to experience hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, and diminished renal injury.
For the study, researchers monitored the health of 118 men and women 50 or older. They compared results of dental exams in 2021 with those from physical exams in 2021 and 2023.
Results indicated that individuals with hyperglycemia had reduced numbers of remaining teeth and worse OD scores.
In addition, individuals with hypercholesterolemia had coated tongues and worse OD scores.
Individuals with diminished renal function had coated tongues, lesser remaining teeth and worse OD scores.
Researchers stated that oral health could be associated with these chronic illnesses through unhealthy bacteria increasing in a poorly tended mouth, or by the inflammation discovered in diseased teeth and gums.
However, researchers further stressed the need for further studies, as the study failed to find a direct cause-and-effect association between dental health and chronic disease.
Implementing oral function tests during health check-ups might lead to enhanced health promotion, the researchers concluded.
