How Oral Bacteria Might Be Making Your Arthritis Much Worse
Rheumatoid Arthritis & Its Relationship To A Periodontal Pathogen
Researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University have revealed the role of macrophages and the protein caspace-11 in this process. The good news hinted at through these findings is a possible promise of therapeutic targets for rheumatoid arthritis. Proving that every dark cloud may, indeed, have a silver lining if something positive can emerge out of this research. The crux of the matter is that periodontal bacteria can cause an inflammatory reaction beyond the domain of the mouth. Thus, it is not only tooth loss as worst case scenario but far more wide reaching affects as well.
“Periodontal disease, which affects the gums and tissues that surround the teeth, is one of the most prevalent dental conditions worldwide. Most often caused by the formation and accumulation of bacterial biofilm around the teeth, periodontal disease can ultimately lead to tooth loss if left unattended.”
– Science Daily
Gum Disease & Arthritis Share Inflammatory Pathogens
Gum disease has been revealed to be indicative of much more far reaching chronic health problems in human beings. This particular bad bacteria is a pathogen not only for gum disease but also for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Aggregatibachter actinomycetemcomitans engenders inflammation well beyond the mouth. Inflammation is the major determinate in many of the chronic conditions adversely impacting the health of millions of us today. In this instance, it is inflamed joints and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Developing therapeutic treatments to alleviate these debilitating symptoms is the next step required on the journey to better health. What did these medical researchers find?
“They found that infection with this specific bacterium led to increased limb swelling, cellular infiltration into the lining of the joints, and higher levels of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) within the limbs. Notably, these symptoms of worsening RA could be suppressed by administering a chemical agent called clodronate that depletes macrophages — a type of immune cell. This demonstrated that macrophages were somehow involved in aggravating RA caused by A. actinomycetemcomitans infection.”
– Tokuju Okano, Hiroshi Ashida, Noriko Komatsu, Masayuki Tsukasaki, Tamako Iida, Marie Iwasawa, Yuto Takahashi, Yasuo Takeuchi, Takanori Iwata, Miwa Sasai, Masahiro Yamamoto, Hiroshi Takayanagi, Toshihiko Suzuki. Caspase-11 mediated inflammasome activation in macrophages by systemic infection of A. actinomycetemcomitans exacerbates arthritis. International Journal of Oral Science, 2024; 16 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41368-024-00315-x
Oral bacteria is involved in the inflammatory symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis, according to the results found in these studies.
“Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints. In some people, the condition can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels. An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body’s tissues. Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity.”
– Mayo Clinic
Anything that can point the way toward a more effective treatment for this currently incurable autoimmune condition is big news. Understanding the link between bacterial infections and inflammation is a positive step in the right direction.
“Our suggestion to inhibit inflammasome activation could attenuate the expansion of inflammation to joints, resulting in a recovery from arthritis symptoms,” says lead author Dr. Tokuju Okano. “Moreover, the outcome of our work could contribute to the development of treatment strategies for not only arthritis but also other systemic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which is also related to periodontal pathogenic bacteria,” he adds with eyes set on the future.”
– Dr Tokuju Okano
Inflammation Is The Shared Indicator In Most Chronic Illnesses Today
Yes, Alzheimer’s disease is another inflammatory condition, this time of the brain. Clinical depression is another chronic illness that involves inflammation of the brain tissue. Diabetes is yet another chronic health issue plaguing modern humanity and also is linked to inflammation.
“Inflammation has a key role in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and its associated metabolic abnormalities.”
– NCBI.gov
Poor diet and the overconsumption of carbohydrates and processed foods are linked to the prevalence of all these inflammatory conditions and chronic illnesses. Bad bacteria forming periodontal infections fits like another piece in this complex jigsaw puzzle. The microbiome, our gut flora, is also negatively impacted by diets top heavy with too much red meat, processed meats, fast foods, too many carbohydrates, too much sugar and not enough green leafy vegetables. These foods attract bad bacteria to our guts and the gut brain axis suffers as a result. Mood swings and such like are a direct outcome of poor diets over a sustained period of time.
“High-carbohydrate diets (> 60% of total dietary energy) that consist predominantly of high glycemic carbohydrates have detrimental metabolic effects. These diets increase serum triglyceride and insulin resistance, having the greatest adverse effect in insulin-resistant states, such as type 2 diabetes or pregnancy.”
– G. Frost, in Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (Second Edition), 2003
How To Clean Up Your Oral Health & Combat Gum Disease
First thing, talk to your dentist about the state of your oral health and what you can do to improve your oral hygiene. Drink more pure water during your waking hours. Bacteria feeds on dry mouths. Many of the things we do in our modern lifestyles exacerbate this problem. Antidepressant drugs make dry mouth syndrome more likely. Smoking and vaping likewise dry your mouth saliva up. Alcohol, tea and coffee do as well. Recreational drugs do the same or worse in most cases. To combat this sip pure water throughout the day to keep your mouth moist and the bacteria at bay. Clean your teeth at least twice a day with a reputable tooth paste and tooth brush in good condition. Regularly change your tooth brush to ensure it stays in good nick. Flossing can help remove those sticky bits of food detritus from within your oral cavity. A mouth wash can be helpful a couple of times a week.
The Mouth is the Gateway to Inflammation
We now know that the bacteria in your mouth and around your teeth and gums can cause periodontal disease. This, we have recently discovered is much more serious to our overall health than previously understood. Infections and inflammations do not limit themselves to our mouths but reach much further. Many of the chronic incurable illnesses plaguing humanity at the moment are inflammatory reactions within the body. These are painful and life limiting; and ultimately life threatening. The conclusion you can reliably draw from this information is that the state of your oral health is way more important than you might realise.
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Services We Mentioned:
General Examination and Hygiene
Periodontal / Gum Disease Treatment
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