Obesity Leads to Poor Oral Health

According to a recent study by the British Dental Health Foundation, "Poor oral health has joined the list of knock-on effects of obesity."

Just a few years ago, 1.5 billion adults (ages 20 and older,) were overweight, of that number, over 200 million men and about 300 million women were obese.  Periodontal pockets are food and plaque traps that irritate and decay teeth to the point that the tooth will finally fall out.

The executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, expressed his concern on the findings saying that, "As almost one in four adults in the UK are classed as being obese, and gum disease is recognised as the major cause of tooth loss in adults, there is clearly a significant oral health risk to a large proportion of people."

"There has been much discussion about broadening the role of the dentist to check for illnesses such as diabetes, and when it comes to obesity, there is definitely a case for doctors relaying information on how their diet is directly affecting their oral health."

"As well as recommending people brush for two minutes twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste , and they visit their dentist regularly, the Foundation also recommends people cut down on how often they have sugary foods and drinks.  By following these three key rules, you stand a much greater chance of having and keeping healthy gums, thereby reducing the risk of gum disease, tooth loss and decay."

Source:

British Dental Health Foundation