Poor Nutrition

If you routinely ingest a diet that is low in essential nutrients, you may be jeopardizing your body's immune system which fights off infection such as periodontal (gum) disease. Indeed, poor nutrition compromises the health of your gums.

An August 16, 2000 press release in Chicago presented a study released in the August issue of the Journal of Periodontology finding that individuals who consume less than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C have slightly higher rates of periodontal disease. Researches analyzed Vitamin C intakes and signs of gum disease in 12,419 American adults and found that patients who ingested less than the recommended 60mg daily were one and a half times more likely to develop severe gingivitis (a mild form of periodontitis) than those who consumed three times the recommended value (180mg of Vitamin C).

In addition to under-consuming certain nutrients, over-consumption of calories has been linked to periodontal disease. A June 2, 2003 press release in Chicago presented the findings of researchers from Case Western Reserve University: a significant association between obesity and incidence of periodontal disease, particularly among individuals between the ages of 18 and 34 (findings published in the May issue of the Journal of Periodontology.