There’s a lot of talk these days about the gut-brain connection, and how our gut health can affect everything from our mood to our overall health. But what many people don’t realize is that our oral health can also play a role in gut health. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the ways that our oral health can impact gut health, and we’ll explore some tips for keeping our gut and oral health in balance.
What Does Oral Health Have to Do with Your Gut?
Oral bacteria that spreads throughout the body has been associated with numerous systemic diseases. The microorganisms of the mouth reach the stomach through swallowed saliva, nutrients, and drinks. Your saliva contains a large amount of bacteria that generally poorly colonize the healthy intestine.
Over 70 percent of our immune response comes from cells within the gut. This system plays an essential role in immune system homeostasis. In its simplest terms, a strong immune system helps to maintain a healthy mouth, a healthy mouth strengthens your immunity, and a strong immune system begins in the gut.
Diseases Related to Both
Disruption to the gut microbiota from swallowing bacteria can lead to metabolic disorders such as:
Obesity
In a study done for the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the microorganisms in the gut of obese test subjects increased the level of organic compounds being degraded in the body, which resulted in elevated levels of uric acid. These elevated levels then lead to destruction of the bony ridge that contains teeth sockets. Bone destruction such as this makes obesity a risk factor for periodontal disease (PD).
Diabetes
Multiple studies show that, when compared to healthy individuals, patients with type two diabetes have an overall lower diversity of gut microbiome composition. These studies show that your gut microbiome plays a role in the development of type two diabetes, as well as insulin resistance.
When not controlled well, diabetes can lead to higher blood sugar levels in the fluids in your mouth. This further promotes bacterial growth that causes gum disease. Infections from periodontal disease that is left untreated can cause your blood sugar to rise, making it harder to control diabetes.
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fats and cholesterol on the artery walls. This plaque can cause arteries to narrow and block blood flow. It can also burst which can lead to a blood clot. It has been shown that periodontal disease has been associated with atherosclerosis, which suggests that bacteria from the oral cavity plays a role in its development.
Obesity is a main contributing factor to patients that develop atherosclerosis, meaning that there is a connection between your gut microbiome and atherosclerosis as well.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease mostly known for joint inflammation. Patients with RA have a higher risk of periodontitis due to the link of RA and the production of enzymes by periodontal pathogens.
Changes in the oral microbiome have been linked to worsening RA conditions as well. Scientists have also made a connection between your gut microbiome and RA. This is due to the different functions of the large population of microbes in the gut such as digestion, immune system regulation, and protection against pathogens. This connection also helps explain why symptoms of patients with RA vary greatly from one another.
Cancer
Altered gut microbiota has been associated with resistance to chemo drugs as well as immune checkpoint inhibitors. It has been shown that when certain bacterial species are supplemented back into the gut, responsiveness to anticancer drugs and treatment is restored.
In a study done for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, there was revealed to be a 24 percent increase in risk of developing cancer in participants that had severe periodontitis, compared to those with little to no gum issues. The types of cancer most likely to affect the participants were lung and colorectal cancers.
Maintaining good oral hygiene not only benefits your teeth and gums, but also the health of your gut. The mouth is home to millions of bacteria, some of which are beneficial to our overall health, while other species can cause harm.
When harmful bacteria enter the bloodstream through the gums, they can travel to other parts of the body and contribute to diseases like heart disease and stroke. Conversely, a healthy gut microbiome can help protect against these conditions by maintaining a balance of good and bad bacteria. So, next time you brush your teeth or floss between meals, remember that you’re not just promoting oral health, but also gut health!