Rapid weight gain linked with perio disease risk in men

With Easter approaching and a bountiful supply of chocolate on offer - please heed this cautionary advice from the Absolute Dental team.

A new study has found that males who rapidly gain weight had more periodontitis and periodontitis progression compared with those who had smaller gains.


The study, published in the Journal of Dental Research, found that:

Men who were overweight at baseline and gained weight most rapidly (> 0.19 kg/year or approximately 15 lb during follow-up) had significantly more PPD events than men in the lowest tertile of weight gain (≤ -0.05 kg/year).

Overweight men whose waist circumference increased more than 0.14-0.39 or more than 0.39 cm/year experienced more PPD events than men in the lowest tertile (≤ 0.14 cm/year).

Increase in arm fat area was associated with disease progression in normal-weight men.

"These results suggest that tracking adiposity changes with easily obtained anthropometric measures may help predict risk of periodontitis progression," the authors noted.

Waist circumference, as a surrogate measure of visceral fat, has been closely correlated with body mass index in estimating health risk including periodontal disease, study author Andrea Gorman explained.

"Now we can see that rates of gain in weight and adiposity, both visceral and subcutaneous, can impact progression of disease," she said. "Faster rates of weight gain and fat gain have worse outcomes."

Additional research in the area of obesity and periodontal disease should include analysis of blood samples for markers of inflammation, she added.

While some dentists may feel that nutrition falls outside of their scope of practice, educating both dental and dietetic students on the link between poor oral health and poor diet quality is essential to providing comprehensive and improved patient care, Gorman emphasized.

By expanding the professional relationships between dentists and dieticians, patients will benefit from a healthcare environment that is working together to improve overall health and well-being, she explained.

"As the practice of dentistry evolves, practitioners should be comfortable to screen and refer patients for nutrition education and counselling, especially if there are associated chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, or obesity," Gorman concluded.

Emma

Straight Teeth. Less Time. Clear Braces.

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Is Six Month Smiles right for me? The best way to find the answer to that question is to contact us for a complimentary consultation on 01548 852165 or email info@absolute-dental.co.uk . However by answering a few question relating to your lifestyle and your expectations we can help determine if you should consider taking that next step.

Follow the link below and take the on line test, you can then bring the results along to your first appointment with you.

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Don't let your dental health go up in smoke!!

The good news is that quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for the health of your heart and has a huge beneficial impact on the health of your mouth!

Stopping smoking is one of the most challenging experiences that many of our patients go through. We understand how hard it can be but there has never been a better time to give up and you are not alone in your quest!

There are many ways that smoking affects our dental health including the following and patients may experience obvious signs and symptoms. Signs and concerns patients may inform us about include:

Bad breath

Staining

Increase of plaque and calculus

Dry mouth or xerostomia. This is a reduction in saliva, leaving patients more at risk from caries and periodontal disease.

White patches inside the mouth

Loose teeth

Signs and symptoms we see also include:

Increase of bone loss

Increased risk of gingivitis(gum disease) and periodontal disease

Delayed healing after extractions

Lower success of implant proceedures

Increase in signs of oral cancer, white patches, red patches.

Smoking and other tobacco products lead to gum disease by affecting the attachment of bone and soft tissues to your teeth and it interferes with the normal function of gum tissue cells. It affects the blood flow to the tissues which then impairs wound healing.

If you decide to quit or want to cut down, there are a huge range of options!

Face to face at Absolute

Firstly talk to your dentist and hygienist at Absolute Dental and we will work with you to find practical ways to help you stop. The good news is that every time we see you for a visit we are checking to see if smoking or the use of tobacco is having an impact on your oral health. We do this by firstly asking you if you have noticed any changes around your mouth. This could mean to you any sore patches, redness, dryness, bleeding on cleaning your teeth. We screen for oral cancer, inflammation of the lining of your mouth, and the dryness of your mouth. We also record where we find deposits of plaque, calculus, inflammation of gums and periodontal disease and stain and if your smoking habits have changed. We know that even cutting down can bring significant benefits to your dental health and the health of your heart.

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In these days of internet availability, there are many helpful websites including WeQuit which has an online forum full of helpful tips from around 44,000 other quitters who you can swap tips with and find out how other people cope. The British Heart Foundation have a stop smoking booklet and have a free Heart Matters service who can help with support and advice.

Getting started in stopping!!!

Make a date to give up! and stick to it - throw away all your tobacco lighters and ashtrays.

Make a plan and think what could help you stop- nicotine replacement therapy, and have whatever you need ready for the date you plan to stop.

Think smart and download information about the different methods of stopping smoking

Get support - tell your family and friends. Talk to your GP or practice nurse.

Keep busy to help take your mind off cigarettes and changing your routine can really help with this!

Treat yourself!!!! If you can, use the money you're saving to buy yourself something special!

Maureen

Wednesday March 13th - National No Smoking Day.

If like the millions of smokers out there you have thought about giving up, why not make this this year to really go for it!

This year the theme to the national campaign is Swap Fags for Swag is all about what smokers will gain when they quit - as well as improved health, they'll have extra cash to spend on whatever they like!

Have a look an the information below, it might just help give you the incentive you need. Giving up smoking will not only improve your overall health, but also your dental health.

Why do smokers smoke?

Most smokers have ‘triggers’ for lighting up. These could be meeting up with friends, after a meal, a pint in the pub, coffee break at work, making a phone call…

Keeping a ‘smoking diary’ for a couple of weeks before your quit date, to record when and why you smoke, can help you understand your smoking behaviour and plan for how you’ll get over those triggers while you are quitting. Once you have stopped you might use the diary to help you stay stopped, cope with cravings, and make notes about how you’re feeling and the benefits you’re enjoying.Continue using your diary when you begin your quit journey. As you approach your quit date try creating a diary to plan for the weeks ahead. You might want to include some of the following:

What you’ll be doing (work outside home, work at home, social activities, study)

Who you’ll spend time with (have I told them I’m quitting? Will they be supportive?)

Possible smoking triggers (look back at your pre-quitting diary to notice patterns)

How you’ll cope with them

Rewards (set yourself goals and reward yourself if you achieve them)

Make notes on how each day went and how you felt

Use the diary to make notes about your quit plan – think in advance of how you might cope with smoking trigger points and cravings. Perhaps you’ll want to plan some treats to reward yourself for your first smoke-free day, weekend or week, and you may need to rearrange your social life at first to avoid being with people who smoke. You might also want to arrange a fun way to spend your free time on the first few days with someone who will really support you with your quit attempt!

What if you do have a cigarette?

OK, you’ve slipped up – it’s not the end of the world and no reason to abandon your quit attempt. If you got a cigarette from someone else, tell them you wish you hadn’t had it and ask them to help you stay stopped in the future. If you’ve bought cigarettes, throw them away.

Think about why you had that cigarette and how you could have avoided smoking, note it in your diary, then keep on with your quit plan. Perhaps you need more help that you haven’t yet taken up – nicotine replacement, your local stop smoking service, a helpline…

Even several months or years after quitting, you may still have times when you think about smoking. Don’t get complacent and think you’re no longer addicted so it’s safe to have one or two cigarettes – after all the effort you’ve put into quitting, don’t risk starting again!

Finally...

Get as much help and support as you can to help you stay stopped – friends, family, work mates, your GP, practice nurse or pharmacist, local stop smoking service, dentist/hygieinist, quitting buddy. If we can be of any help here at Absolute Dental, or you would like more advice or futher quit tips, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01548 852165 or email info@absolute-dental.co.uk