- Too much of sugar is bad for your gums and teeth
- Gulping down soft drinks and eating lots of sugar can increase the risk of dental cavities and inflammation of the gums (periodontal diseases)
- Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste, even after cutting down on sugar can keep your gums and teeth healthy
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The results have been obtained in connection with a critical review of the literature over the past fifty years, and have just been published in the international scientific journal Journal of Oral Microbiology.
"Sugar hasn't traditionally been associated with the development of periodontal diseases. It's true that back in the 1970s two American researchers suggested that a diet which was high in carbohydrates could be a common risk factor for both dental diseases and inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease, but this knowledge was largely forgotten again," says Professor, Dr. Odont. Bente Nyvad from the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health at Aarhus University, who has headed the research.
"Today, there is general agreement that the above-mentioned diseases are associated with a high sugar intake. However, a hypothesis that could link and explain the two major dental diseases, caries and periodontitis, has been lacking," she says.
In the new research project, the researchers have arrived at a common hypothesis for the development of the two major dental diseases. The hypothesis is based on the biochemical processes that take place in the bacterial deposits on teeth when you add copious amounts of nutrients to the bacteria - particularly when you eat sugar.
The researchers assumption is that periodontal diseases caused by sugar belong to the group of inflammatory diseases in line with diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Bente Nyvad therefore recommends that healthy eating habits should be given much higher priority if the goal is to avoid expensive treatments in the healthcare system.
- Integrated hypothesis of dental caries and periodontal diseases - (https://doi.org/10.1080/20002297.2019.1710953)
Source-Eurekalert