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Severe Gum Disease, Impotence May Be Linked

Posted 7 days ago by Drugs.com

MONDAY, May 21 – Men with severe gum disease, known as periodontitis, are at greater risk for impotence, according to a new study that finds young men and the elderly at particular risk. The researchers from Taiwan used data from a large study to identify almost 33,000 men with erectile dysfunction and randomly selected about 162,000 men without this condition. Of these study participants, about 12 percent had periodontitis. This group with gum disease included about 27 percent of the men with erectile dysfunction and about 9 percent of those without sexual problems. The men were followed for five years. The study found gum disease was much more prevalent among the men with erectile dysfunction than the control group. After taking into account other lifestyle factors, such as income and pre-existing medical conditions, the researchers found gum disease was still linked to impotence, ... Read more

Related support groups: Erectile Dysfunction, Periodontitis

No Proof That Gum Disease Causes Heart Disease, Experts Say

Posted 18 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, April 18 – A new scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association says no convincing evidence exists linking untreated gum disease to heart disease or stroke. Nor is there strong evidence that treating gum disease can reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke, the report says. For more than 100 years, it was said that gum, or periodontal, disease could lead to cardiovascular disease, a major cause of death in the United States, but an extensive analysis found no proof of that connection. "It's a statement that current science does not support a direct association or a causative association," said Dr. Peter Lockhart, a professor, dentist and co-chair of oral medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center, in Charlotte, N.C. The report has been in the works for more than three years, Lockhart said. "It was a matter of finding out, what is the state of the science?" ... Read more

Related support groups: Heart Disease, Oral and Dental Conditions, Periodontitis

Treating Gum Disease May Help Diabetics Avoid Complications

Posted 23 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 23 – Treating gum disease in people with diabetes reduces their medical costs and hospitalizations, new research shows. The three-year study included diabetes patients with gum (periodontal) disease who were randomly selected either to receive periodontal therapy or no treatment (control group). Those in the treatment group underwent periodontal therapy in the first year and their gum health was maintained for the following two years. The patients in the control group had incomplete periodontal therapy before the study and did not receive regular periodontal maintenance during the study. The total annual per-patient cost of hospital admissions, doctor visits and overall medical care was an average of more than $1,800 lower in the treatment group than in the control group. The patients in the treatment group had 33 percent fewer hospital admissions. The study was to be ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Diabetes, Type 1, Diabetes Mellitus, Periodontitis

Health Tip: Am I at Risk for Gum Disease?

Posted 20 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

-- Periodontal disease, sometimes called gum disease, attacks and damages tissue called the sulcus that sits just below the gum line. The American Dental Association mentions these factors that increase your risk for periodontal disease: Smoking or chewing tobacco products. Having a systemic disease, such as diabetes. Taking certain medications, including anti-epilepsy drugs, steroids and anti-cancer drugs. Having crooked teeth or a bridge that doesn't fit correctly. Being pregnant or taking birth control pills. Having fillings that have become defective. Read more

Related support groups: Oral and Dental Conditions, Periodontitis

Losing Weight May Help Fight Gum Disease

Posted 16 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 – Losing weight appears to help fight gum disease, a new study indicates. It included 31 obese people who underwent treatment for gum disease. Half of the patients (average body-mass index, or BMI, of 39) had gastric bypass weight loss surgery and also had fat cells removed from their abdomen. The other patients (average BMI of 35) did not have gastric bypass surgery or fat removed from their abdomen. All the participants underwent nonsurgical periodontal (gum) treatments of scaling/root planing and received instructions for oral hygiene at home. Both groups showed overall improvement in gum health but those in the surgery group showed greater improvement on measures for periodontal attachment, bleeding, probing depths and plaque levels, Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine researchers said in a university news release. The study was published in ... Read more

Related support groups: Obesity, Oral and Dental Conditions, Periodontitis

Dentists May Be Able to Spot Undiagnosed Diabetes

Posted 28 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, July 28 – Dentists may be able to help spot undiagnosed diabetes or identify people with pre-diabetes, a new study suggests. By identifying people with the disease who are unaware of their condition, routine dental checkups present an opportunity for dentists to help fight the diabetes epidemic, said the study authors, from the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York City. "Periodontal disease is an early complication of diabetes, and about 70 percent of U.S. adults see a dentist at least once a year," the study's senior author, Dr. Ira Lamster, dean of the College of Dental Medicine, said in a university news release. "Prior research focused on identification strategies relevant to medical settings. Oral healthcare settings have not been evaluated before, nor have the contributions of oral findings ever been tested prospectively." In conducting the study, ... Read more

Related support groups: Diabetes, Type 2, Periodontitis

Fish Oil Might Help Fight Gum Disease

Posted 26 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Oct. 26 – Eating even moderate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, typically found in foods such as salmon and other fatty fish, may help ward off gum disease, new research suggests. Researchers divided nearly 9,200 adults aged 20 and up participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2004 into three groups based on their consumption of omega-3 fatty acids. Consumption was assessed by asking participants to recall exactly what they'd eaten during the prior 24 hours. Dental exams showed participants in the middle and upper third for omega-3 fatty acid consumption were between 23 percent and 30 percent less likely to have gum disease than those who consumed the least amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically, the researchers found that the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were associated with less ... Read more

Related support groups: Lovaza, Fish Oil, Periodontitis, Omacor, Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, MaxEPA, Animi-3, Marine Lipid Concentrate, Proepa, Sea-Omega 30, Super-EPA, Mi-Omega, Omega-500, EPA Fish Oil, Divista

Invasive Dentistry May Raise Short-Term Heart, Stroke Risk

Posted 19 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Oct. 18 – Invasive dental procedures designed to treat gum inflammation may raise the risk for heart attack and stroke, researchers say. But the increase appears to be slight and short-term, the study team noted. "I don't want to downplay this entirely, because we saw a genuine rise in cardiovascular risk in the period just after dental work was done among patients undergoing invasive treatment," said study co-author Liam Smeeth, a professor of clinical epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in England. "But the overall risk is quite small and endures for only a very brief period." Smeeth and his colleagues published their findings in the Oct. 19 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Previous research has linked common and chronic low-grade dental infections to inflammatory processes that elevate the risk for strokes and heart attacks, the ... Read more

Related support groups: Oral and Dental Conditions, Periodontitis

Study Suggests Osteoporosis Drug Might Treat Loss of Bone in Jaw

Posted 17 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, Oct. 15 – People suffering from a disfiguring loss of bone in the jaw may find help in the form of a long-used osteoporosis drug, two new studies suggest. Besides being linked to chronic, severe gum disease, this type of bone loss has also been connected in rare cases to the use of bisphosphonates, a different class of osteoporosis drugs. But the two papers in the Oct. 16 online issue of the New England Journal of Medicine report success with teriparatide (Forteo) in rebuilding bone. One report describes the case of an 88-year-old woman who had been taking the bisphosphonate alendronate (Fosamax) since suffering a hip fracture 10 years earlier. She had also been taking the corticosteroid prednisone for two decades. Experts have already noticed an uptick in the incidence of this rare but devastating condition in patients using bisphosphonates. According to an editorial ... Read more

Related support groups: Forteo, Boniva, Fosamax, Alendronate, Actonel, Reclast, Zometa, Aclasta, Periodontitis, Zoledronic Acid, Pamidronate, Ibandronate, Risedronate, Teriparatide, Aredia

Gum Disease More Common in U.S. Than Previously Thought

Posted 1 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Sept. 30 – Officials have underestimated the prevalence of gum disease in the United States by as much as 50 percent, new research suggests. "This study shows that periodontal disease is a bigger problem than we all thought. It is a call to action for anyone who cares about his or her oral health," Dr. Samuel Low, professor of periodontology at the University of Florida College of Dentistry and president of the American Academy of Periodontology, said in a news release from the organization. But the chronic inflammatory condition known as periodontal disease can do more than harm the gums and the structures that support the teeth. Without treatment, serious diseases that affect the entire body can develop, including diabetes, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis, the authors of the news release explained. "Given what we know about the relationship between gum disease and ... Read more

Related support groups: Periodontitis

Treating Gum Disease May Thwart Preterm Births

Posted 5 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 5 – In another sign of a link between gum disease and premature birth, a new study finds that pregnant women with periodontal disease who undergo successful treatment are less likely to give birth early. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and Washington University in St. Louis studied 872 women with and without gum disease who were pregnant for between six and 20 weeks. Of that group, 160 with gum disease were treated and later evaluated to see whether the treatment had been successful. About 7 percent of the women without gum disease gave birth before 35 weeks' gestation; the rate was 23.4 percent among those who had gum disease, the researchers found. The study authors also found that women whose periodontal treatment failed were more likely to have premature infants. The findings are scheduled to be presented Friday at the annual meeting of ... Read more

Related support groups: Periodontitis

Gum Disease May Increase Head and Neck Cancer Risk

Posted 18 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 8 – Taking good care of your teeth may help cut your risk of developing head or neck cancer, suggests a new study that links a gum disease to such tumors. Having chronic periodontitis, a gum disease involving the progressive loss of the bone and soft tissue attached to the teeth, appeared to increase one's odds of developing head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, especially in the mouth and throat. The findings was published online Sept. 8 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. "Prevent periodontitis; if you have it already, get treatment and maintain good oral hygiene," research leader Dr. Mine Tezal, from the Buffalo, N.Y.-based Roswell Park Cancer Institute, said in a news release issued by the journal's publisher. The cancer risk appeared to be roughly as high for chronic periodontitis patients, regardless of whether they smoked or used any ... Read more

Related support groups: Periodontitis

Biological Product Shows Promise Against Gum Disease

Posted 4 Apr 2009 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, April 4 – Resolvins, a new family of biologically active products of omega-3 fatty acids, may be able to remedy the inflammation of periodontal disease and restore gums to health, say Boston University researchers. Two types of resolvins are made from the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both of which keep blood triglycerides under control and may inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis. EPA and DHA help reduce inflammation and are often used to help people with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, according to background information in a new release from the International & American Association for Dental Research. Resolvins of the E series (RvE1) are derived from EPA, and resolvins of the D series (RvD1) are derived from DHA. Previous research showed that RvE1 provided protection against ... Read more

Related support groups: Periodontitis

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