New Scientist - clean your teeth!

[BrianTheElder]

Fascinating stuff...
https://www.newscientist.com/articl...true-cause-of-diabetes-stroke-and-alzheimers/

 

[mariavontrapp]

What does it say? I don't have a subscription

 

[Juicyj]

Looks fascinating but you need a subscription to read more..

My dentist is pretty clued up and knows and appreciates the links between poor dental health, inflammation and diabetes, good dental hygiene can also affect your HbA1c, unfortunately those with diabetes are more likely to suffer periodontitis or gum inflammation, which can result in tooth loss, so keeping those teeth clean and flossed is vital, also good to avoid mouth washes as they disrupt the bacteria in the mouth, so killing good and bad bacteria, it's best to keep them clean than use this stuff.

 

[Jaylee]

I don't have a subscription either..

Ironically, (&sadly.) with regards to Alzheimers. Neglect of personal hygiene tends to happen after the onset of the condition.

 

[BrianTheElder]

What does it say? I don't have a subscription

Hi @mariavontrapp
I'm sorry about that, I didn't realise you wouldn't be able to see it all.
The article says that a lot or things are caused by dental disease, in particular by the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis.
Apparently, it promotes inflammation and is associated strongly with dementia, heart disease and T2D.
It is quite a long and well reasoned article, and may well reveal the smoking gun that links many chronic diseases.

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi @mariavontrapp
I'm sorry about that, I didn't realise you wouldn't be able to see it all.
The article says that a lot or things are caused by dental disease, in particular by the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis.
Apparently, it promotes inflammation and is associated strongly with dementia, heart disease and T2D.
It is quite a long and well reasoned article, and may well reveal the smoking gun that links many chronic diseases.

Far more likely to be hyperinsulinaemia.. which probably effects gum repair too?

 

[Jaylee]

Far more likely to be hyperinsulinaemia.. which probably effects gum repair too?

This is where I see the "catch 22" with the onset of dementia/Alzheimers? Oral hygene would just be "forgotten" along with certain other cognitive functions?
High BG levels regarding the onset of diabetes would promote infection in the softer body tissue..

I don't wish by any means to sound cynical about this new finding. I get where you're coming from too, it's a bit like blaming Thrush on triggering diabetes...

 

[BrianTheElder]

Far more likely to be hyperinsulinaemia.. which probably effects gum repair too?

Many of these diseases have feedback loops, in which the disease gets worse because of the symptoms. It is difficult to separate cause and effect. However, this is the first time I have seen a single causal effect described for so many diseases. If you can, I recommend you read the full article.

 

[Tophat1900]

Many of these diseases have feedback loops, in which the disease gets worse because of the symptoms. It is difficult to separate cause and effect. However, this is the first time I have seen a single causal effect described for so many diseases. If you can, I recommend you read the full article.

I can't read it either, but as I understand it, poor dental health equates to a constant stream of bad bacteria in your blood stream, gut etc and of course it's circulating around your body. It does cause inflammation. There is no denying (imo) the importance of proper cleaning and flossing.

 

[Hooty]

I was just browsing through to see if anyone else had posted about this article. I get emails from New Scientist which alerted me to it, and I could read the headline and start of the text, but without having a subscription I couldn’t read the full thing, so hadn’t seen the suggested link between dental disease and diabetes. Interesting!

 

[Pipp]

I haven’t been able to read the article.
I would agree that thorough cleaning, including flossing of teeth is important as poor dental hygiene apart from causing tooth decay will result in inflammation of gums and bacteria getting into blood stream.
I would wonder, though, why most of the many people I have known who have (or had) dementias were elderly people who had no teeth as the trend at the birth of the NHS was for young people to have all their teeth exracted and replaced with removable dentures. Having spent much of their adult lives without any natural teeth, they would not have had the associated gum problems caused by poor dental hygiene.