Healthcare (Commonwealth Union) – Oral health is a crucial aspect of overall well-being that often goes overlooked. Many people focus on general health, diet, and exercise but neglect their teeth and gums, not realizing that poor oral hygiene can lead to serious health complications. Maintaining good oral health is not just about having a bright smile—it’s about preventing disease, ensuring proper nutrition, and improving quality of life.
Poor oral hygiene leads to plaque buildup, which causes cavities, gum disease (gingivitis and periodontitis), and tooth loss. Brushing twice a day, flossing, and regular dental check-ups can prevent these issues before they become severe.
A new study by the University of Sydney has found a strong link between poor oral health and increased rates of migraines, abdominal pain, and general body aches in women.
Appearing in the journal Frontiers in Pain Research, the groundbreaking research is the first of its kind to pinpoint specific oral bacteria connected to certain types of pain. This suggests a possible interaction between the oral microbiome and the nervous system.
These results underscore the potential benefits of maintaining good oral hygiene in reducing pain and enhancing overall health. They also open the door for further research into the role of oral bacteria in persistent, unexplained pain conditions—such as fibromyalgia, which affected 67 percent of the women in the study.
The lead researcher Associate Professor Joanna Harnett from the Faculty of Medicine and Health and the Charles Perkins Centre’s oral and systemic health research group, which integrates medical and dental disciplines pointed out that it is the first research to explore the connection between oral health, oral microbiota, and the types of pain frequently reported by women with fibromyalgia. She indicated that their findings reveal a clear and significant link between poor oral health and increased pain levels.
“Our findings are particularly important to fibromyalgia which, despite being a common rheumatological condition, is often underrecognised,” explained the first author, who is also a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sharon Erdrich.
“Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain, and headaches including headaches, as well as fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive problems.”
The study explored the links between self-reported oral health, the composition of the oral microbiome, and different types of pain among a group of New Zealand women, both with and without fibromyalgia.
Oral health status was measured using the World Health Organization’s oral health questionnaire and compared to various pain conditions—such as general body pain, headaches, migraines, and abdominal pain—using validated tools. These included the Short Form-36 (a measure of overall quality of life), the International Headache Society‘s headache survey, and the Functional Bowel Disorder Severity Index. Significant relationships were found between oral health scores and pain levels, each of which also showed connections to particular microbial species in the mouth, identified through advanced genomic sequencing methods.
The participants with the worst oral health reported the most intense pain symptoms. Specifically, they were 60 percent more likely to experience moderate to severe bodily pain and 49 percent more likely to suffer from migraines. Poor oral health emerged as a statistically significant factor in predicting frequent and chronic migraines.
Four types of oral microbes—belonging to the genera Dialister, Fusobacterium, Parvimonas, and Solobacterium—were strongly linked to pain, even after accounting for factors like age, body mass index (BMI), and intake of added sugars.
Researchers identified a mild but statistically significant negative relationship between overall diet quality, oral health, and the presence of these microbes as well, though they acknowledged this connection requires further exploration.
Various Research has demonstrated a strong link between oral health and overall health. Gum disease has been associated a variety of different diseases.
