Inflammatory bowel disease tied to more gum disease

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a significantly higher frequency of periodontitis than healthy controls, according to a study published online Sept. 16 in the Journal of Periodontology.

Giacomo Baima, D.D.S., from University of Turin in Italy, and colleagues assessed the prevalence and risk indicators of periodontitis in patients with Crohn disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC). The analysis included 180 patients with IBD (117 CD, 60 UC, three IBD-unclassified) and 180 matched healthy controls.

The researchers found that significantly more patients with IBD had moderate/severe periodontitis (85.6 versus 65.6 percent) and severe periodontitis (36.7 versus 25.6 percent) versus controls. Differences were more pronounced in the 35- to 50-year-old and 51- to 65-year-old age groups, but without significant differences between CD and UC.

Overall, individuals with IBD had ~3.5 times higher chances of having moderate/severe periodontitis. Older age, presence of IBD, and higher full-mouth plaque scores were significantly associated with periodontitis in the full sample, while gender (male), IBD-associated surgery, IBD duration, and localization (pancolitis) were significant factors in the IBD group.

"Relevant associations between IBD and periodontitis were found, being modified by CD and UC clinical characteristics," the authors write. "Preventive and therapeutic strategies involving the gum-gut axis should be enforced in IBD patients."