Lower Oral Health Scores Linked to Higher Pain Scores in Women
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 14, 2025 -- Low oral health scores are associated with higher pain scores, including migraine headache, among women, according to a study published online April 9 in Frontiers in Pain Research.
Sharon Erdrich, from The University of Sydney, and colleagues examined associations between self-reported oral health, the oral microbiome, and various pain presentations in women. Oral health was assessed using the World Health Organization oral health questionnaire, and validated instruments were used to determine body pain, migraine, and abdominal pain.
The researchers found participants in the lowest quintiles of oral health had a greater likelihood of suffering migraine headaches and having high body pain scores. After controlling for confounders, four oral pathogenic species were significantly associated with Short Form-36 bodily pain. There was a moderate correlation seen for relative abundance of Gardnerella (genus) with oral health scores, while associations with migraine were seen for Lancefieldella (genus) and Mycoplasma salivarius.
"We report lower oral health scores and higher abundance of a range of oral pathobionts to be associated with higher pain scores, suggesting a contribution to the pain phenotype," the authors write. "Subject to larger studies confirming these findings, we propose that the oral microbiome has a role in pain signaling and requires consideration of an oral microbiome–nervous system axis."
Two authors disclosed ties to Viome Life Sciences.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2025
Read this next
Less Than Half of Youths With Sickle Cell Received Dental Services in 2022
FRIDAY, Sept. 5, 2025 -- Only 42 percent of youths with sickle cell disease (SCD) received dental services in 2022, according to a research letter published online Sept. 3 in JAMA...
Discontinuation of Medical Cannabis Common in Musculoskeletal Pain
TUESDAY, Aug. 26, 2025 -- A number of patients with musculoskeletal pain discontinue medical cannabis (MC) within one year, with many discontinuing within the first three months...
AAP Offers Guidance for Tapering of Opioids to Prevent Withdrawal in Children
TUESDAY, Aug. 19, 2025 -- A plan for tapering opioids should be developed to minimize withdrawal symptoms in children receiving opioids for five or more days, according to a...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.