Periodontitis

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the gums and the tooth's supporting apparatus. The most common symptoms are:

• swollen and reddened gums,
• bleeding from the gums,
• pain during cleaning,
• bad breath.

The inflammation arises due to increased activity of bacteria in the oral cavity, which leads to the formation of plaque and dental calculus. This inflammation may not be just localized but can spread throughout the body. It often happens that poor oral hygiene, which leads to the multiplication of undesirable bacteria, causes numerous diseases that were not previously believed to be related. Most commonly cited today are cardiovascular diseases, where it has been found that individuals affected by periodontitis have up to twice the risk of developing atherosclerosis and even four times the risk of heart attack compared to a healthy individual. They may also influence the development of diabetes or chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract.

The conditions for creating an inflammatory environment occur quite easily:

• smoking (periodontitis is 5 times more common in smokers),
• consumption of sweets,
• use of antibiotics,
• lack of natural (technologically and chemically unprocessed) food,
• insufficient dental hygiene.

The Impact of Diet on Periodontitis

The development of periodontitis is directly related to the diversity of the (oral) microbiota, where due to changing conditions, pathogenic microorganisms significantly prevail. The immune system fails to manage their impact, leading to inflammation. The solution is straightforward - alongside regular oral hygiene and avoiding smoking, it involves a simple dietary adjustment system that includes:

• limiting the consumption of alcohol, coffee, and sugared beverages,
• reducing sugar intake in the diet,
• attempting to avoid industrially processed foods,
• the option to utilize certain dietary supplements - those with bactericidal effects are beneficial, and newly in the market are oral probiotics.

Also influential is the long-term observed ratio between the intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fats, where a higher presence of omega-6 promotes the development of inflammation.