Gum disease link to arthritis

Health Sciences

New University of Adelaide research is uncovering why people with a common gum disease known as periodontitis are more likely to develop severe rheumatoid arthritis.

Melissa Cantley, a PhD researcher from the University's School of Medical Sciences, said both conditions were chronic inflammatory diseases involving destruction of the bones around the teeth in periodontitis and the joints in rheumatoid arthritis.

Animal studies have shown a link between the two, with evidence that gum disease could predispose people to arthritis development, or at least make their symptoms more severe.

Using a bacteria involved in human periodontitis, Ms Cantley induced periodontitis in mice and observed both bone loss around their teeth and in their joints. She also found evidence of bone loss in the jaws of mice that were given inflammatory arthritis.

"We are not saying that one causes the other but there is definitely a close association," Ms Cantley said.

Periodontitis is a common condition, estimated to affect up to 60% of the world's population, while up to 2% of the world's population suffers from rheumatoid arthritis.

The former can be related to poor oral hygiene caused by particular bacteria in the gums, leading to inflammation and destruction of the tissues that support the teeth. It tends to be more common in lower socio-economic communities and developing countries.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease where the body's own immune system starts to attack tissues within the joints, resulting in inflammation and crippling pain. It is not associated with age, unlike osteoarthritis.

"It appears that bone loss occurs in the mouth before rheumatoid arthritis symptoms appear but it is not necessarily detected," Ms Cantley says. "We are now recommending that patients who have rheumatoid arthritis should be screened for gum disease."

Ms Cantley travelled to the United States in September to present her work to the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in San Diego, California. She was also a finalist in the Three Minute Thesis competition hosted by the Faculty of Health Sciences at its recent Postgraduate Research Expo last month.

Story by Candy Gibson