Healthy Mouth Balances Metabolic Profiles & Cuts Cardiometabolic Risk

A new study reveals oral health issues such as common oral infections, periodontal diseases, and caries are linked to inflammatory metabolic profiles that can elevate the risk of cardiometabolic diseases.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Dental Research, included researchers from the Medical University of Graz, the University of Helsinki, and the Karolinska Institutet ().

Oral Health Reflects Cardio-Metabolic Health Risk

The association between oral infections and adverse metabolic profiles was observed in the Finnish Health 2000/2011 and Parogene study cohorts.

Periodontitis
Periodontitis or pyorrhea is infection and inflammation of ligament tissues that surround and support the teeth. Periodontitis causes loss of alveolar bones leading to loosening and loss of teeth.

‘Poor oral health reflects inflammatory metabolic markers which can elevate cardiometabolic risk. #oralinfection #metabolicimbalance #cardiometabolicrisk #oralheath’

Tweet it Now

“The observation is novel, since there are only few studies connecting extensive metabolic measures with oral infections, and no earlier prospective studies exist,” says Professor Pirkko Pussinen from the University of Eastern Finland.

Progressed oral infections and inflammations – endodontic lesions and periodontitis – are known to be associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Although the mechanisms behind these associations are partially unclear, poor oral health is probably sustaining systemic inflammation.

The present study comprised 452 middle-aged and elderly Parogene patients and 6,229 participants of the population-based Health-2000 survey. In 2011, 4,116 Health-2000 participants provided a follow-up serum sample. Serum concentrations of 157 metabolites reflecting the risk of chronic diseases, such as lipid and glucose metabolites, ketone bodies, and amino acids, were determined with an NMR spectroscopy method.

Test your Knowledge on Tooth Decay
Tooth decay occurs when acid producing bacteria in the plaque damage the tooth structure leading to cavities; showing symptoms such as tooth pain, tooth sensitivity, black or brown spots on the tooth surface and bad ...

Parameters describing the oral health status were collected at baseline in clinical and radiographic examinations. They included those describing the periodontal status, such as bleeding on probing, periodontal probing depth, and alveolar bone loss.

Caries-related parameters included root canal fillings, apical rarefactions, and caries lesions. The study is composed of a cross-sectional part analyzing the association between the metabolic measures with prevalent oral health, and a prospective part examining whether oral infections predict the levels of metabolic measures in the follow-up.

Top 7 Benefits of Good Oral Hygiene
Practicing good oral hygiene regularly is a good investment not only for teeth but also for overall well-being.

Periodontitis especially linked to the prevalent inflammatory metabolic profile, caries to future adverse metabolites.

Among 157 metabolic measures, increased periodontal probing depth was associated with 93, bleeding on probing with 88, and periodontal inflammation burden with 77 measures. Among the caries-related parameters, root canal fillings were associated with 47, inadequate root canal fillings with 27, and caries lesions with 8 metabolic measures.

Tooth Decay
Tooth decay in toddlers, children and adults, also called dental caries, is a bacterial infection causing demineralization and destruction of the hard tissues of the teeth.

In the prospective analyses, caries was associated with 30 and bleeding on probing with 8 metabolites. These metabolic measures were typical of inflammation, thus showing positive associations with fatty acid saturation degree and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) parameters, and negative associations with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) parameters.

“Oral infections may partially explain unhealthy lipid profiles,” says Adjunct Professor Aino Salminen from the University of Helsinki.

Reference:

Systemic Metabolic Signatures of Oral Diseases - (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00220345231203562)

Source-Eurekalert