Jessica Harmon

New Study Links Obesity to Periodontitis

New research has shown that obesity may increase susceptibility to gum disease. Researchers hope that this new information will help us develop a new treatment to gum disease.

Periodontitis is a blanket term for common gum disease, and new research has shown that this gum disease just might be linked to obesity. The study, done right here at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry Oral Health Institute, explains a correlation between obese patients and prevalence of periodontal disease.

The researchers of the study believe that the patients have a higher prevalence to periodontal disease due to what they call chronic nutritional stress. The study is titled “MicroRNA Modulation in Obesity and Periodontitis” and it was published in the Journal of Dental Research.

The researchers in the study looked at the prevalence of a bacteria called MicroRNA and studied how prevalent it was in patients who were obese compared to those whose BMI (body mass index) was lower.

“The expression of specific microRNA species in obesity provides new insight into possible mechanisms of how risk factors might modify periodontal inflammation and may represent novel therapeutic targets," said the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Dental Research, William Giannobile.

What this means is that now that scientists have this new information about the prevalence of this bacteria in obese patients, they can start developing some treatment technologies specifically targeted at those who are more at risk for periodontal disease. It is much easier for researchers to develop treatments when they know which kinds of patients they are developing the treatment for.

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