Got Arthritis? Get Checked for Periodontal Disease

Researchers Find Connection Between Arthritis & Common Oral Care Condition

Those with rheumatoid arthritis have a higher rate of periodontal disease according to a study published in the Journal of Periodontology, but the connection may have more to do with inflammatory conditions than it does oral hygiene and lack of dexterity.

Periodontal disease is a serious gum infection that destroys the soft tissue and bone that support your teeth, according to the Mayo Clinic. Periodontal disease can cause tooth loss or worse, an increased risk of heart attack or stroke and other serious health problems.

Rheumatoid arthritis (commonly referred to as RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that most typically affects the small joints in your hands and feet. Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity. It is through this erosion and deformity – and the pain that accompanies it – that those with RA lose the dexterity required to do simple tasks of daily living, like brushing and flossing teeth with ease.

Researchers at Berlin’s Charité-Medical Faculty departments of periodontology and epidemiology found that patients with rheumatoid arthritis were nearly eight times more likely to have periodontal disease compared to healthy control subjects.

The study findings accounted for demographic and lifestyle characteristics, like gender, educational background and tobacco use.

While researchers found that limited manual dexterity due to the constrictions of RA were a factor in the study participants’ oral health, it did not fully explain the association between the two diseases, suggesting that there may be other parameters responsible for the increased prevalence of gum disease in RA sufferers.

Kenneth Kornman, editor of the Journal of the Periodontology, noted that the connection may be as simple as the fact that both RA and gum disease are systemic inflammatory disorders.