Gum disease increases risk of other illness such as mental health and heart conditions

The study, which was the first of its kind, examined GP records of 64,379 patients who had a GP-inputted recorded history of periodontal disease, including gingivitis and periodontitis. Of these, 60,995 had gingivitis and 3,384 had periodontitis. These patients’ records were compared to those of 251,161 patients who had no record of periodontal disease. Across the cohorts, the average age was 44 years and 43 per cent were male, whilst 30 per cent were smokers. Body Mass Index (BMI), ethnicity and deprivation levels were also similar across the groups.

Reporting on the study, media outlet Eureka Alert explained, “The researchers examined the data to establish how many of the patients with and without periodontal disease go on to develop cardiovascular disease (e.g., heart failure, stroke, vascular dementia), cardiometabolic disorders (e.g., high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes), autoimmune conditions (e.g., arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, psoriasis), and mental ill-health (e.g., depression, anxiety and serious mental illness) over an average follow-up of around three years.