The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Workforce
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Rheumatoid Arthritis, Periodontal Disease Link Suggests Benefits in Behavioral Change

Rheumatoid Arthritis, Periodontal Disease Link Suggests Benefits in Behavioral Change

June 15, 2015 • By Karen Appold

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
tab62/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Image Credit: tab62/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Although compelling data exist to support a link between periodontal disease (PD) and the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), cementing the association will require extensive investigative work.1 However, in reviewing the literature of the past 10 years, Elliot D. Rosenstein, MD, director, Institute for Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases at Overlook Medical Center, Summit, N.J., and colleagues were able to draw some conclusions.

You Might Also Like
  • Mechanistic, Epidemiologic Clues Suggest Possible Link Between Obesity, Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Why Did Rheumatoid Arthritis Begin in 1800?
Explore This Issue
June 2015
Also By This Author
  • Rheumatologists Reflect: What Drew Them to the Profession & How They Can Attract Others

It has long been known that patients with active RA demonstrate significantly increased frequency and severity of PD, as well as tooth and alveolar bone loss. “Several recent studies have substantiated that PD may be present in patients with RA early in the course of disease,” Dr. Rosenstein says.2,3 “The presence of PD or, at least the organism responsible for it and the development of antibodies to that organism, have been linked with more severe RA.”

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Rosenstein has surmised that properly treating PD would have a favorable impact on RA, diminishing the intensity of joint inflammation and making patients more responsive to employed therapies.

Dr. Rosenstein

Dr. Rosenstein

“This is supported by the fact that nonsurgical periodontal treatment of patients with moderate to severe PD can reduce levels of several inflammatory mediators that contribute to the activity of RA,” Dr. Rosenstein says. “Meanwhile, the response of RA to treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy (anti-TNF) (e.g., medications, such as etanercept, infliximab) can be blunted by the presence of PD, whereas those patients who had been treated showed better responses.”

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

In addition, patients destined to develop RA can often now be identified by their antibody profile and other laboratory parameters. “The connection between gum disease and RA offers the potential to not only identify these patients early in their disease, but to offer potentially therapeutic interventions at a time that an impact can likely be had on its ultimate course,” Dr. Rosenstein says.

Recommendations in 4 Areas

Based on this evidence, Dr. Rosenstein and colleagues would advise rheumatologists to make practical recommendations to patients with RA in each of the following areas.

Take fatty acid supplements: Supplementation with borage seed oil as a source of gamma-linolenic acid and fish oil for eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid has been shown to improve outcomes in RA patients by decreasing the need for anti-TNF use, improving the response to standard therapy, and achieving a higher rate of clinical remission. Similar benefits have also been shown in the treatment of PD.4

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Rheumatoid Arthritis Tagged With: behavior change, bone loss, patient care, Periodontal disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatologistIssue: June 2015

You Might Also Like:
  • Mechanistic, Epidemiologic Clues Suggest Possible Link Between Obesity, Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Why Did Rheumatoid Arthritis Begin in 1800?
  • Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Preventable?

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2021 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.