Stress and Gums
By Dr. Linda Niessen -- Baylor College of Dentistry STORY: STRESS AND GUMS SCRIPT # 538 SHOOT: 12/9/03 AIRDATE: Monday, Dec. 29, 2003 DHC MASTER #18 Timecode: 49:33 Study cited is in:
Monday, December 29, 2003
Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA)
www.ada.org/public/media/releases
Click on “Study suggests socializing, reducing
anger are allies against gum disease.”
December issue of JADA
New research released this month from Harvard University connects anger to a gum disease called periodontitis. How can emotion affect your oral health? Dr. Linda Niessen has details of the study in this Dental Health Check.
For years, dentists have connected the two problems: stressed out patients who also have gum disease.
"Their immune systems are stressed out," said Dr. Jackie Plemmons of Baylor College of Dentistry, speaking of patients with higher levels of stress than normal. "They can't fight infection as well."
In the Journal of the American Dental Association, Harvard University researchers reported that men who are angry on a daily basis had a 43 percent higher risk of developing periodontitis, an infection of the bones that hold the teeth in.
Anger causes the body to release stress hormones, which depress the immune system and increase resistance to insulin. "In this particular study, they looked at men who experienced anger more frequently in their lives." said Dr. Plemmons. "And in a patient under stress, we have more of those chemicals and more of challenge in maintaining periodontal health."
Other risk factors play a role. If you smoke, you have a much greater risk of developing periodontal disease than a non-smoker. Diabetes also increases the risk.
The signs of gum disease are red, swollen or tender gums; gums that bleed when you brush; bad breath that doesn't go away; loose teeth; or a change in the way the teeth fit together.
Any activity that reduces stress, isolation, or anger can improve your oral health. So exercise, meditation, joining a group, or starting a hobby may be just what the dentist ordered. For Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M Health Science Center in Dallas, I'm Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8 News.
Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.
