In a recent study published in Diabetes Care, it now appears that gum disease may be a predictor for the onset of diabetes.
The study is the most recent in a string of reports linking gum health to over all health. Last year, researchers at Harvard associated periodontal disease with pancreatic cancer.
Other research has linked poor gum health to heart disease, stroke and pregnancy problems. And what’s more alarming is that about about 80 percent of U.S. adults currently have some form of the disease, the U.S. National Library of Medicine says.
Periodontal disease is the prevalence of bacteria that destroys the tissue that holds teeth and is the major cause of tooth loss in adults.
Smoking can make the problem worse and hormonal changes in girls and women can make the gums more sensitive making it easier for gingivitis to develop.
Want to find out whether you’re at risk, visit perio.org.
Have you had gum disease? How did you get rid of it?