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Exercise, Healthy Diet May Prevent Teeth Loss
Good lifestyle habits reduce risk of periodontal
disease; just one more thing on list of benefits
Aug. 23, 2005 Senior citizens and baby boomers
are pounded with advice saying that with exercise and a healthy diet
their mental and physical health is substantially improved. Now, a new
study says that even oral health is better. The exercise-and-eat-right
lifestyle, the study says, can reduce periodontal disease, the main
cause of loss of teeth.
The advice is particularly important to aging
people because the oral benefit is primarily a big reduction in the risk
for periodontitis, the gum infection that causes most of the tooth loss
in America. And, the severity of periodontal disease increases with age.
About 23 percent of Americans between age 65 and 74 have severe cases.
It is also estimated that about 30 percent of all U.S. senior citizens
65 and older no longer have any natural teeth.
Researchers found that individuals who exercised,
had healthy eating habits and maintained a normal weight were 40 percent
less likely to develop periodontitis, a gum infection that can result in
loss of teeth.
The prevalence of periodontitis was reduced by 29
percent for those individual who only met two of the healthy behaviors
and 16 percent in those that met at least one, according to Mohammad S.
Al-Zahrani from the division of periodontitics at King Abdulaziz
University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (and alumnus of Case Western Reserve
University's School of Dental Medicine and Case School of Medicine).
He conducted the study for his doctoral
dissertation work in epidemiology at Case in collaboration with Elaine
A. Borawski from Case's department of epidemiology and statistics at the
Case medical school and Nabil F. Bissada, chair of the department of
periodontics at the Case School of Dental Medicine.
The researchers from Case Western Reserve
University examined data from 12,110 individuals who participated in the
third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).
Beside healthy brushing and flossing habits, prior
to this study other healthy behaviors that contribute to the prevention
of the disease were unknown, according to the researchers.
This new study is published in the current issue of
the Journal of Periodontology, the official publication of the American
Academy of Periodontology. The findings were reported in the article, "Periodontitis
and Three Health-Enhancing Behaviors: Maintaining Normal Weight,
Engaging in Recommended Level of Exercise and Consuming a High-Quality
Diet."
Advances in dental medicine have permitted more
people to keep their teeth as they grow older. Understanding the
underlying ways to prevent gum diseases have become increasingly
important, according to the researchers. More than 30 percent of the
population suffers from periodontitis, an infection of the gums that can
lead to heart disease, diabetes and pre-term labor.
Curious whether the same factors that can prevent
heart disease and lower the risks for diabetes might also impact oral
health, the researchers examined the cumulative relationship between
weight, exercise and a high-quality diet and dental disease in the
United States population.
NHANES III, used in the study, is a cross-section survey conducted by
the National Center for Health Statistics. It includes comprehensive
systemic and dental components.
Information about weight, eating and exercise were
collected during the survey. Participants were monitored for 24 hours on
their food intake and also questioned about nine leisure-time physical
activities (walking a mile or more at a time without stopping, jogging
or running, bike riding, aerobic dancing or exercise, dancing, swimming,
calisthenics, garden or yard work, and weight lifting). If individuals
reported five or more moderate physical activities or three intensive
activity sessions a week, it was considered healthy. Weight was
considered within normal range if it fell within the body mass index
(BMI) of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m² (obesity was considered at 25 kg/m²).
The researchers concluded that the healthy
behaviors such as exercise and diet that lower the risks of diabetes
also can lower the risk factors for periodontitis. Exercise--also known
to reduce the C-reactive protein in the blood associated with
inflammation in the heart and periodontal disease. Healthy eating
habits, which builds the body's defenses against disease, also reduce
the production of plaque biofilm, which is the primary epidemiological
factor associated with periodontal disease.
Conquering periodontal disease, according to the
researchers, may mean more than just targeting the disease but
addressing multiple risk behaviors, too.
"Since oral health professionals may see their
patients two or four times a year, it gives them several opportunities
to promote these healthy behaviors," report the researchers.
Taking Care of Your Teeth
-
Drink fluoridated water and use fluoride
toothpaste; fluoride provides protection against dental decay at all
ages.
-
Practice good oral hygiene. Careful tooth brushing
and flossing to reduce dental plaque can help prevent periodontal
disease.
-
Get professional oral health care, even if you have
no natural teeth. Professional care helps to maintain the overall health
of the teeth and mouth, and provides for early detection of
pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions.
-
Avoid tobacco. In addition to the general health
risks posed by tobacco use, smokers have seven times the risk of
developing periodontal disease compared to non-smokers. Tobacco used in
any form - cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless (spit) tobacco -
increases the risk for periodontal disease, oral and throat cancers, and
oral fungal infection (candidiasis). Spit tobacco containing sugar also
increases the risk of dental decay.
-
Limit alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption is a
risk factor for oral and throat cancers. Alcohol and tobacco used
together are the primary risk factors for these cancers.
-
Make sure that you or your loved one gets dental
care prior to undergoing cancer chemotherapy or radiation to the head or
neck. These therapies can damage or destroy oral tissues and can result
in severe mucosal inflammation and ulcers, loss of salivary function,
rampant decay, and destruction of bone.
-
Caregivers should attend to the daily oral hygiene
procedures of elders who are unable to perform these activities
independently.
-
Sudden changes in taste and smell should not be
considered signs of aging but should be an alert to seek professional
care.
Some of the information in this article is from the
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Oral Health for Older Americans.
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