Inflammatory bowel disease often coexists with periodontal disease. That is shown by latest publications from a European research project that explored the connection between the 2 diseases.

How is oral health actually affected by an inflammatory bowel disease? And the way does the mouth affect our gut? The undeniable fact that periodontitis could be linked to diabetes and heart problems is already well-known, nonetheless, the connection between periodontitis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) just isn’t as well explored on a big scale in a European context.

Now two publications from a big research project with Danish patients show that there’s a strong connection between the diseases.

The study shows that patients with IBD have more periodontitis and fewer teeth in comparison with people without IBD. We also see that patients with IBD and periodontitis have an aggravated intestinal disease with a better activity than patients with IBD who don’t have any oral health issues.”

Andreas Stavropoulos, professor and senior dental officer on the Faculty of Odontology and certainly one of the researchers behind the study

“Each diseases could be described as a robust overreaction of the immune system against a theoretically relatively mild bacterial trigger. You’ll be able to say that the immune system attacks one’s own body.”

Within the survey, around 1,100 patients answered questions in an internet survey. Around half of the participants had Crohn’s disease and the opposite half had ulcerative colitis. About 3,400 people without IBD also participated within the study, who were randomly chosen but additionally matched for certain criteria to the patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

“The investigation not only showed that patients with intestinal disease had worse oral health than people without IBD, but additionally that the oral health of patients with Crohn’s disease was more affected. They lost more teeth than patients with ulcerative colitis,” says lecturer and senior dental officer Kristina Bertl.

Through contacts with the patient association for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in Denmark, the researchers were capable of find participants for the study. It was well-known inside the association that many patients had recurring problems with their teeth and infections and ulcers of their mouths. At the identical time, they felt that this was probably not addressed during health checks.

“The association was very keen to assist. The participants stated that they didn’t receive any information concerning the possible connection between the 2 diseases, and that the issues with the teeth and the mouth were generally under prioritized,” says Stavropoulos.

Periodontitis initially causes relatively mild symptoms, equivalent to bleeding gums when brushing the teeth, but can result in tooth loss if not treated in time.

“Similarly necessary, it could be that treatment of periodontitis has a positive impact on the management of IBD,” concludes Stavropoulos.

Source:

Journal reference:

Madsen, G.R., et al. (2022) The Impact of Periodontitis on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Activity. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. doi.org/10.1093/ibd/izac090.