Obesity Increases Risk of Gum Disease

In addition to all the other potential risks that obese people face, there’s another, obesity increases risk ofgum disease. Scientists found that there’s a direct link between obesity and gum disease in a study involving 37,000 men.

The study, which started in 1986 and ended in 2002, followed the data from these men for 16 years. Jimenez and other members of her team from Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Puerto Rico, followed data provided on the men to see if there was a link. Originally, none of the men had signs of periodontal problems.

The study group provided their data on their height, weight and periodontal disease. In order to classify those obese, measurements of central obesity involving waist and hip circumference taken by the men themselves with help from not only printed instructions but also, a tape measure provided for the study.

The scientists then established the baseline for the individuals and studied those without signs of periodontal disease. The study took into consideration the body mass index, waist to hip ratio and waist circumference once the individual reported the first sign of any periodontal diagnosis.

Every two years the scientists sent another follow up questionnaire to the participants of the study. The final questionnaire, sent in 2002, gave them enough information to evaluate the long-term effects of excess weight in relationship to gum disease.

The study used the standard obesity definition, which is someone with a body mass index at 30 or higher. People in this group had a 29 % increase in gum disease. When compared to a group that was overweight but had not entered the threshold of obesity, they found only a minor, insignificant increase in the risk of periodontal disease.

The second factor, waist circumference, was an important factor whether those involved in the study developed gum disease. The data indicated there was a higher risk for men if their waist circumference was 40 inches or larger. Their increase for the potential of gum disease increased by 19 % once the man’s waist reached 40 inches. This measurement is also significant in studies on heart disease and provides a significant link to increased risk.

Another study done by Jimenez and others from the University of Puerto Rico at San Juan, found a distinct link to moderate gum disease in older men and women. They compared men and women above the age of 70 with a higher waist-to-hip ratio to those of average waist to hip measurements. Those with the higher ratio, more body mass in the middle, had a higher incidence of moderate gum disease than the average. The average ratio is .94 and below in men and .87 and below in women, found by dividing the waist measurement by the hip measurement.

Even when the team took other factors into consideration like age, profession, smoking, race, intake of fruit and vegetables and even whether those in the study had diabetes, they found that the numbers didn’t change significantly.