The close relationship between oral health and gut microbiota

Microbiota is not a recent term, but currently it is generating considerable interest, due to the confirmation of the impact of the bacterial equilibrium in our gut on virtually every aspect of our lives. Several researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have recentlydemonstrated in a study that certain intestinal bacteria can trigger an immune response which, similar to the effect of periodontitis, results in the loss of alveolar bone – the bony structure where the jaw tissues supporting the teeth are located.

Oral health is one of the priorities at SHA Wellness Clinic where we invest in state-of-the-art technology which is highly effective, comfortable and pleasant for the patient. It is a technology including a complete imaging of the teeth and gums with an intraoral scanner allowing the patient to feel as the central character in the process of treating and cleaning their teeth. Not only can we help you to balance your gut microbiota, but we can also eliminate its impact on gum and jawbone health.

For our oral microbiota to remain healthy there must be a very specific balance between the bacteria it consists of, the harmful ones and the benign ones. When this balance is disturbed, inflammatory oral infections occur, such as periodontitis.  This study shows, however, that microbes in our mouths are not the only culprit in bone loss, since it appears that the microbes in the gut play their own role in oral health.

According to the study, intestinal bacteria activate immune cells which, in turn, release a series of molecules responsible for causing alveolar bone loss. “Changes in the oral microbiota can trigger the inflammatory immune responses causing bone destruction,” says Chad Novince, the lead author of the paper, who recalls that until his research no one had inquired whether gut bacteria could also have an impact on dental health.

“Our study is one of the first to begin to define the mechanisms of gut microbiota in modulating systemic immunity and distant areas of the skeleton, including the alveolar bone or the jaw,” says Novince.

The research findings may help explain why some patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (such as Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome) develop periodontal disease-related bone loss. “The results we have obtained support the idea about a correlation between periodontal health and inflammatory bowel conditions,” says Jessica Hathaway-Schrader, co-author of the study. “They prove that the gut microbiome plays a role in oral health status,” she adds.

The solution is easy: maintain proper oral health, not only at home, but with regular visits to the dentist. For this reason, at SHA, special emphasis is placed on dental prophylaxis treatments to ensure that the beginning of the digestive system – our mouth – is in optimal condition to receive the food we eat. In fact, SHA Wellness Clinic’s comprehensive dental prophylaxis will make you forget everything you remember about going to the dentist. This fully digitised experience is enjoyable and certainly surprising. The results of it are of a very high technical and aesthetic standard.

The prophylaxis is carried out with a state-of-the-art Japanese technology providing a complete cleaning of the teeth, without hardly touching them. It ends with oral ozone therapy in the form of a gas which selectively eliminates the bacteria which cause gingivitis and bad breath. The gums benefit from a hyaluronic acid treatment allowing them to recover in less than 48 hours.

The intraoral scanner also enables to perform full-mouth diagnostics and digital smile design work, using sophisticated artificial intelligence software to ensure natural, aesthetically pleasing results. Aesthetic oral rehabilitation will not require more than ten days of your stay at SHA Wellness Clinic.