Don't like brushing or washing your teeth? Beware of diabetes! Is periodontal disease related to systemic inflammation?
Did you brush your teeth carefully today? Oral health may be more important than you think. In recent years, studies have found that periodontal disease is related to cardiovascular disease, infectious pneumonia, and even mildly related to myocardial infarction and stroke. Bacterial toxins may enter the body through blood vessels when chewing or brushing teeth, causing temporary “bacteremia”, irritating the inner walls of blood vessels and increasing the chance of small blood clots forming. At the same time, periodontal disease may also cause increased release of CRP (inflammatory substance). The latest research in Japan now points out that if the elderly do not take good care of their oral cavity, in addition to tooth decay and periodontal disease, they may also increase their risk of diabetes, sarcopenia, etc.
The elderly have fewer teeth and poor chewing ability, which doubles the risk of diabetes and sarcopenia
According to a new study by a research team at Shimane University in Japan, weak oral function is one of the factors that leads to physical frailty, disability, and even higher mortality. The research team recruited a total of 635 local subjects in Shimane, aged between 40 and 74 years old. To assess the subjects’ chewing ability, the researchers asked them to chew the gummy jelly as hard as possible for 15 seconds without swallowing, and then spit out the remainder to assess the subjects’ bite strength and oral health. .
The researchers found that subjects with fewer remaining teeth and poor chewing abilities had weaker hand grip strength, which may be associated with sarcopenia. The group with fewer teeth and poor chewing ability is also significantly related to the occurrence of diabetes. The research team speculates that reduced chewing ability or fewer teeth may be due to the intake of more soft, sugar-rich foods and shorter meal times than ordinary people, which may lead to higher blood sugar concentrations after eating and increase the risk of diabetes. one.
Dr. Shozo Yano, who led the study, said that based on experimental data, improving chewing methods through the use of dentures may reduce the risk of diabetes and sarcopenia. Previous research has shown that gum disease can lead to tooth loss, decreased insulin sensitivity and reduced glucose tolerance. In addition, tooth loss is not only closely related to periodontal disease, but may also be related to systemic inflammatory symptoms. Dr. Yano suggested that the elderly should chew their meals slowly and maintain the habit of brushing their teeth after meals. Taking care of their oral cavity will help maintain their health.
If you don’t control your smoking and drinking habits, be careful of esophageal cancer
When it comes to oral health care, in addition to preventing oral degeneration leading to diabetes, the elderly must also be aware of the risk of esophageal cancer. According to the top ten cancer mortality rates in 2020 announced by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, esophageal cancer ranks ninth. Because men are more likely to smoke, chew betel nut, or drink alcohol for a long time, the majority of deaths are among men. In fact, there are no obvious symptoms in the early stage of esophageal cancer. When patients with esophageal cancer begin to have difficulty swallowing and have a foreign body sensation when swallowing, they should go to the hospital for examination immediately.
If you want to stay away from the threat of esophageal cancer, the best way is to first change the three “champagne” habits - quit smoking, quit drinking and quitting betel nut, which can effectively stay away from the risk of cancer. In addition, overheated foods and heavily processed foods (such as sausages and sausages) should be avoided in your daily diet. On the contrary, eating more unprocessed foods can help reduce the risk of esophageal cancer.
Daily oral hygiene is also very important. In addition to brushing your teeth carefully, it is recommended to floss once a day to remove debris and food stuck between the teeth; and use mouthwash once a day to achieve deep oral hygiene. Many people do not check their teeth or clean their teeth regularly because of fear or trouble. The Academy of Family Dentistry recommends that dental calculus will be produced due to continuous erosion of oral bacteria. It is generally recommended that teeth should be cleaned every six months. In short, maintaining oral hygiene is one of the basic conditions for good health regardless of men, women, or children. If you do not pay attention to oral care, you must be careful that “trouble comes from the mouth.” It is difficult to guarantee that the body organs will suffer greater damage.
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