Periodontal Disease Linked to Obesity
A recent study published as a supplement to the Journal of Periodontology (JOP) found that obesity, independent of any factors such as age, race, gender, or ethnicity, is a significant predictor of periodontal disease. Researchers at the University at Buffalo analyzed the national sample and determined that insulin resistance mediates the relationship between the two conditions.

The data showed that the severity of periodontal attachment loss increased proportionally as insulin resistance increased. Also, the number of teeth lost increased with greater insulin resistance. Compared to the lowest insulin resistance group, people with the highest insulin resistance lost an average of 1.1 more teeth.

A press release from the American Academy of Periodontology, publishers of JOP, have quoted Robert J. Genco, vice provost at the University at Buffalo, leader of the research team and editor of JOP, saying “People who have higher body mass index produce cytokines (hormone-like proteins), that lead to systemic inflammation and insulin resistance. We propose that chronic stimulation and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines associated with periodontal infection also occurs, contributing to insulin resistance, which may further predispose to diabetes mellitus.”

The team of researchers showed that people with diabetes who suffer from periodontal disease may be prone to greater mortality from diabetic complications, which include kidney complications and cardiovascular disease, than diabetics who do not.(1)

For more information on this study please visit www.perio.org.

1. Genco RJ, Grossi SG, Ho A, et al. A Proposed Model Linking Inflammation to Obesity, Diabetes, and Periodontal Infections. JOP 2005; 76:2075-84.