Individuals with periodontal disease and arthritis may be uniquely predisposed to flare-ups, according to a report published by Brewer et al in Science Translational Medicine. In a study of a small group of patients with arthritis conducted over several years—conducted to get to the root causes of flare-ups for the condition—researchers noted that two patients in the group with moderate to severe periodontal disease presented with oral bacteria collected on their bloodwork, even without dental procedures occurring. They then found that the oral bacteria found in their blood was being broadly citrullinated in their mouths and concluded that these bacteria work their way from the mouth to the bloodstream, thereby leading to inflammation that contributes to arthritic flare-ups. In a companion press release on these findings issued by The Rockefeller University, senior study author Dana Orange, MD, explained, “Our results indicate that periodontal disease leads to leaky gums that allow oral bacteria to enter the blood repeatedly. This level of oral bacteria in blood doesn’t cause obvious symptoms, so the patients were not aware this was happening, but they do trigger inflammatory and autoantibody responses that are highly relevant to rheumatoid arthritis.”
May 25, 2023