Obesity is significantly related to periodontal disease through the pathway of insulin resistance, according to researchers at the University at Buffalo.
Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body does not respond well to the action of insulin.
Researchers analyzed data on the periodontal status; body mass index, or BMI; fasting insulin levels; and fasting glucose levels of 10,836 participants who took part in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
They excluded participants with diabetes and those who had fewer than six teeth. They considered people with a BMI of more than 27 to be overweight and those with an average loss of gingival attachment from teeth of more than 1.5 millimeters to have periodontal disease.
They also created an insulin-resistance index by multiplying the amount of fasting insulin by the amount of fasting glucose.
They found that overweight people with an insulin-resistance index in the top 25 percent were nearly 50 percent more likely to have severe periodontal disease compared with those who had a high BMI and low insulin resistance.
"We think bacteria from gum disease may interfere with fat metabolism, leading to elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol," says Dr. Sara G. Grossi, lead author of the study. "Now we see a relationship between obesity, insulin resistance and periodontal disease in a large, population-based cohort."
"This relationship is important because obesity is an important risk factor for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease," she continues. "It is possible that periodontal disease contributes to increased morbidity in overweight or obese individuals."
