Poor oral hygiene may increase risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Periodontal disease, a disease that attacks the gum and bone and around the teeth, may instigate changes in the body that increase susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis.

A Scottish research team looked at serum and plaque samples from 39 people being treated for periodontitis and 36 healthy people.

Those with the gum disease had higher levels of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies, which are cells often found in the blood of people with rheumatoid arthritis – or those who are at risk of being affected in the future.

“Periodontitis may impact on rheumatoid arthritis initiation and progression,” says Dr David Lappin in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology. “Understanding such a relationship will be crucial to improving preventative and therapeutic strategies for both diseases independently and in combination.”