According to a study published online on Sept. 16 in the Journal of Periodontology, patients who have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) also experience a significantly higher frequency of periodontitis than healthy controls,
Giacomo Baima, D.D.S., from the University of Turin in Italy, along with his colleagues, assessed the prevalence and risk indicators of periodontitis in patients suffering from Crohn disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC). The analysis included 180 patients who have IBD (117 CD, 60 UC, three IBD-unclassified) along with 180 matched healthy controls.
The researchers found that significantly more patients who had IBD experienced moderate/severe periodontitis (85.6 versus 65.6 percent) and severe periodontitis (36.7 versus 25.6 percent) versus controls. The differences were more pronounced in the 35- to 50-year-old and 51- to 65-year-old age groups, but without significant differences between CD and UC.
Overall, those suffering from IBD had ~3.5 times higher chances of having moderate/severe periodontitis. The aged, presence of IBD, and higher full-mouth plaque scores were significantly associated with periodontitis in the full sample, while gender (male), IBD-associated surgery, IBD duration, and localization (pancolitis) were significant factors in the IBD group.
“Relevant associations between IBD and periodontitis were found, being modified by CD and UC clinical characteristics,” the authors write. “Preventive and therapeutic strategies involving the gum-gut axis should be enforced in IBD patients.”
The Full Article:
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Tied to More Gum Disease